New Delhi, Aug 26 (UNI) Haryana Steelers Coach Manpreet Singh feels that the new format of the Pro Kabbadi League(PKL) will make it more exciting and lead to its further growth.
“A new format was needed for the growth of the league, it will be more exciting because it will be more unpredictable, and teams will have a chance of making a comeback even at a later stage of the league stage,” he said while addressing the Press at the PKL Coaches roundtable.
As per the new format of the PKL, Season 12 will see each team playing 18 matches during the league stage, and in case of a tied match, there will be five-raid tie breaker and a golden raid if needed.
Manpreet, who guided the Steelers to a title win in Season 11, felt very happy about his team’s composition. “We have a very balanced side. I am happy that we have been able to retain more or less last year’s winning side, and there are no fitness issues.”
A former Pro Kabaddi champion as a player with Patna Pirates, Manpreet explained that players of the current generation are very proactive and aware regarding fitness issues
“Awareness and discipline regarding fitness have gone up among the players compared to yesteryears. They manage it themselves for the most part,” he said.
When asked whether the absence of Mohammad Reza Shadloui, who won Season 11’s ‘Most Valuable Player’ award, will hamper the Steelers’ chances, he said, “It is never easy to replace a player of that calibre. We have three very good raiders who also win points defending- Shivam Anil Patare, Naveen and Vinay. So we will be formidable while defending as well.”
Mohammad Reza Shadloui was acquired by the Gujarat Giants for ₹2.23 crore in the PKL Season 12 auction.
Manpreet, who began his coaching journey on a brilliant note after he led Gujarat Giants to back-to-back PKL finals in Seasons 5 and 6, said that Haryana Steelers have been a very consistent side in the league because they built a big pool of talent by developing youngsters
“We prepare and train players very well, we nurture young talent meticulousl. A new player cannot be expected to perform straight away. He will take at least 2-3 matches to settle down and perform at his best. We try to give chances to young players, slowly initiating them, and fielding them for short durations in a match. That way they ease into the side with confidence.”
The Steelers have been one of the most consistent teams in recent years and have reached the Playoffs in four out of the seven seasons that they have competed in.
He looked forward to facing Bengal Warriorz in their opening match on August 31 “First match is always important and I am looking forward to facing Bengal Warriorz in the first match. They are a good side with an excellent tactician like Naveen (Kumar) as their coach”
When asked why star raider Naveen Kumar was not made the captain of the squad, he said: “We did not make Naveen the captain as he is one of our foremost raiders and a raider should have a free mind. Hence we chose a defender Jaideep Dahiya”
Reigning champions Haryana Steelers will be aiming to become just the second team to successfully defend their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) crown in the upcoming season. Patna Pirates have won the competition a record three consecutive times.
Pro Kabbadi League (PKL) Season 12 will start on August 29 in Vizag with Telugu Titans taking on Tamil Thalaivas at the Vishwanadh Sports Club.
