The Defenders had defeated the Bengaluru Torpedoes almost a week ago in their last match, while the Meteors suffered a loss to the Torpedoes.
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The Ahmedabad Defenders, last season’s runners-up, take on Mumbai Meteors in the Prime Volleyball League 2023 on Friday. The upcoming contest will be interesting one since both sides will be entering this game on the back of contrasting results in their last encounter. The Defenders had defeated the Bengaluru Torpedoes almost a week ago in their last match, while the Meteors suffered a loss to the Torpedoes. It is to be noted that last year, the Kolkata Thunderbolts won the title after beating Ahmedabad Defenders in the final 15-13, 15-10, 15-12.
Ahmedabad Defenders have not been in action for over a week since beating Bengaluru Torpedoes. Hence, it remains to be seen if the lengthy break will act as a positive or a negative for them. However, youngster Harsh Chaudhary is of the opinion that the additional time given to them could work in their advantage since it as allowed them to work on their mistakes. “We have been training hard and everyday we have been talking about the errors we made in our first two games. So, I see the gap as a positive as it allowed us to work on those mistakes and fix our game,” he added, as quoted by a release.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Meteors skipper Karthik reflected on his team’s defeat in their last game against Bengaluru Torpedoes. He felt that the loss against Bengaluru was a close one and there is no pressure on them while heading into this game. “There is no pressure going into the match. We have got a lot of confidence after our win against Chennai. And our match against Bengaluru was a close one. We have prepared ourselves well to take on Ahmedabad and we will enter the contest to get the win,” he added.
Read More – Prime Volleyball League 2023: Live Streaming, When and Where to Watch, Format, Rules, Participating Nations, Schedule & Results
Going back to Harsh Chaudhary, he reckons that Ahmedabad’s decision to keep the core of the squad together for another season could end up working in their favour against Mumbai. “We have great coordination among all of us and we all know each other well because we played together last year as well. Mumbai, too, have good coordination between their players, but we still know each other better and hence, we can make the most of that,” Harsh elaborated.
On being asked about the same, Karthik reflected, “Both the teams have quite experienced players, but in this format, experience counts a lot. In that case, our setters and libero are quite experienced. In Ahmedabad, they are playing with almost the same squad so that is an advantage for them. All the teams are from universities, so they have been together, so we are expecting a good fight.”
| Kolkata Thunderbolts | Ahmedabad Defenders |
| Calicut Heroes | Kochi Blue Spikers |
| Hyderabad Black Hawks | Chennai Blitz |
| Bengaluru Torpedoes | Mumbai Meteors |
| Date | Match | Time (IST) |
| 17 February | Ahmedabad Defenders vs Mumbai Meteors | 7 pm |
| 17 February | Benglauru Torpedoes vs Kochi Blue Spikers | 9:30 pm |
The Prime Volleyball League 2023, which is held from February 4 to March 5, will consist of 31 matches. The games commence at 7pm. On the double header days, the second match begins at 9:30pm. The Season 2 will be broadcast exclusively by Sony Sports Network across Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and Sony Sports Ten 4. It can also be livestreamed on SonyLIV. Besides, the 2nd edition of the PVL will be streamed globally on Volleyball World across all countries (except the Indian Subcontinent).
