Hyderabad, Oct 29 (IANS): Soon after their comprehensive victory over Bengaluru Bulls in Season 11 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), Telugu Titans' skipper Pawan Sehrawat opened up about his relationship with his head coach Krishan Hooda. Highlighting how their guru-shishya (teacher-student) bond has transcended team rivalries, Pawan said, "Since Season 9, whenever there's a match, I take his blessings before any game. Even today, before any match in the stadium, I meet him to seek his blessings.”

Led by the hi-flyer, the Telugu Titans secured their second win of PKL Season 11 with a scoreline of 28-26. While Ashish Narwal scored nine points, Pawan added five more to his team’s total tally.

Pawan spoke highly about coach Hooda and revealed that the head coach treats him like family, "Coach sir has made me like his son. He even says he loves me as much as his own son. So, these aren't blessings for winning, but for playing well and giving my best.”

Speaking about the victory, Pawan emphasised the team's collective effort, "No team here is weak. Each has scored 25-25 points, with excellent left and right combinations." He also praised his team's strategies, particularly highlighting how they managed to contain strong raiders.

"When a franchise and coach show complete trust in their captain and give 100% charge, it makes a difference. We hold regular discussions, sometimes having 8-10 meetings per day to maintain coordination and improve performance," Pawan said.

"Every point is important in this league. Look at how close all teams are -- some have won three matches more, some have lost three matches more. That's the only difference, otherwise, everyone has faced defeats. What matters is how we bounce back and play as a unit," he added.

Up next, Pawan will face his former team Bengaluru Bulls, with whom he won the PKL trophy in Season 6. Both sides faced off in the opening game of the season as well, with the Telugu Titans winning in their last encounter.

The upcoming encounter adds another interesting dimension to Pawan's journey in the Pro Kabaddi League, as he prepares to compete against the team where he established himself as one of the league's biggest stars.

Bengal Warriorz face-off against defending champions Puneri Paltan in the first match on Tuesday. Back to winning ways after a massive victory over Bengaluru Bulls in their previous encounter, the Paltan will take on the might of Maninder Singh and Fazel Atrachali for the Bengal Warriorz, who earned a hard-fought draw against U Mumba on Saturday.

In the second game on Tuesday, two top raiders will face off as Pardeep Narwal of the Bengaluru Bulls and Naveen Kumar of Dabang Delhi K.C. take the mat. Bengaluru Bulls are looking for their first win of the season but will face a tough task against a side who are looking to return to winning ways with a loss in their last match.