In the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi league (PKl), Dabang Delhi finished sixth with lots of questions about their defensive skills. But, captain Jasmer Singh and star raider Surjeet Narwal have vowed that they will try to perform better than last year in the second edition of PKl which begins in July.
Dabang Delhi kicked off their preparations for the tournament with a five-day high intensity camp here at the Indira Gandhi stadium with a clear focus on identifying the final combinations and easing in their new recruits.
“We will put in our best efforts to be at No.1 position and win the trophy for the fans. This year we have put up an extensive trials camp, and we are looking at all the players and hopefully we will get good players.”
Surjeet was among the top five raiders last year collecting 113 points. This year the star raider is looking to overtake that tally. “There are some players who have understood my weaknesses, but I am working on some new techniques which will surely surprise the opponent,” he said.
Kabaddi is all about hard-work and a lot of practice, and the 25-year-old surely agrees with the statement. “I always believe that without hard-work and practice one cannot achieve anything.
“In 2010, I was in Top 15 for the Asian Games team, but the team can only have maximum of 12 members, so that’s what motivated me to work harder for 2014 Asian Games, but in between Pro Kabaddi league happened, so I came here,” he added. He remained optimistic about the growth of the sport after first season.
“Kabaddi as a sport is less known and not many people play but PKl has surely given the sport a new direction. After the first season, you can see that people, kids have start playing the sport and some of the kids even want to pursue it as a sport.” he said.
Dabang Delhi captain Jasmer Singh promised that this year the team will perform better. “last year we had a few players in the squad. For one position we only had one player, no other subsitute was available. This year we are hoping that we get two-three players for one position.”
Speaking on his teammates Narwal and Kashiling Adake, the captain said, “They are excellent raiders. They are trying to rectify their mistakes and working on some new techniques. Both the raiders will be trying for the bonus points this time. This year I think they will cross the 200 point mark.”
The coaching staff picked new faces to strengthen the squad after long scouting process that included travelling to state and national events. During the preparatory camp, Dabang Delhi players played matches against the Services and Air force teams.