Ahmedabad Defenders finished second in the round-robin stage with 11 points from seven games, while Calicut Heroes finished on third with eight points.
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Ahmedabad Defenders will be eager to reach the final for a second successive year when they take on Calicut Heroes in the semifinal of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 on Saturday. This match at the Regional Sports Centre in Kochi will be an interesting one since there is not much to separate these two sides in the table. Ahmedabad Defenders finished second in the round-robin stage with 11 points from seven games, while Calicut Heroes finished on third with eight points from the same number of matches as their opponent.
The Defenders had won five and lost two, while the Calicut side had been on the winning side four times and lost thrice. It is to be noted that Kolkata Thunderbolts had lifted the title last year after overcoming Ahmedabad Defenders 15-13, 15-10, 15-12 in the final. Even though the Defenders have the experience of reaching the final in this tournament, Calicut Heroes will still be confident of entering the final themselves.
Calicut Heroes’ setter Mohan Ukkrapandian, as quoted by a release, said, “During the robin-round stage, we have gained a lot of confidence to face any team. The players believe they can put up a good show in the semi-final as they have been doing so far in the league.” He then gave an insight into how they would approach the match against Ahmedabad.
“We know how Ahmedabad Defenders plays because they have kept the core of their squad intact. We have made some unforced errors in matches leading up to this but we are working on them as a team and will make sure that those mistakes are not repeated again else it will cost us the match,” he added.
Read More – Prime Volleyball League 2023: Live Streaming, When and Where to Watch, Format, Rules, Participating Nations, Schedule & Results
On the other hand, Angamuthu Ramaswamy is confident of his team’s chances of reaching the final. He went on to explain how difficult it would be to play Calicut Heroes, while also speaking about which areas of his game he is working on currently. “Everyone knows how important this match is to us. In my opinion, Calicut are more formidable opponents compared to Bengaluru Torpedoes in every department. I also want to improve my block and my defence. I am working on it and hopefully I will perform even better in the semi-final,” he added.
Angamuthu Ramaswamy then spoke about how they have prepared for this intriguing semi-final battle against Calicut Heroes. Speaking about the team’s strategy, he said, “We have a plan against them. We know Calicut are a strong team and we are working on that. Our support and coaching staff have shown us some videos on how they play, what is their style, so we will make a strategy accordingly,” he stated.
| Kolkata Thunderbolts | Ahmedabad Defenders |
| Calicut Heroes | Kochi Blue Spikers |
| Hyderabad Black Hawks | Chennai Blitz |
| Bengaluru Torpedoes | Mumbai Meteors |
| Date | Match | Time (IST) |
| 4 March | Ahmedabad Defenders vs Calicut Heroes | 7 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).
