PKL 11: Bengal Warriorz coach Prashant Surve opens up about his Kabaddi journey [Exclusive]

Bengal Warriorz’s Prashant Surve also talked about the lack of domestic defenders.

Pro Kabaddi 2024 (PKL 11) is nearing the end of its eleventh edition. Four teams have already qualified while a few teams are still eligible for the remaining two spots. It has possibly been one of the most competitive seasons in the league’s history. However, 2019 PKL champions Bengal Warriorz have had a season to forget.

Bengal Warriorz have experienced a rough patch filled with inconsistent displays and injuries. They are out of contention for the knockouts and likely to finish in the bottom half of the table. Prashant Surve was kind enough to take some time aside from his hectic schedule and give an exclusive interview to Khel Now, where he spoke on several topics

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Here’s what he said:

On auction strategy

Speaking about the auction strategy, the head coach said that we prepared a good team, but the players and combinations didn’t click together.

“We had a good auction because we got all the players we wanted. We made a good team and we proved in the first few matches that we are a strong team. But, lack of coordination was seen during the matches,” he asserted.

Watch the full Interview here:

Playing on do-or-die raids

Bengal Warriorz made it a habit to play on do-or-die raids. When asked about the same, the former Union Bank player said, “There’s only one reason to play on do-or-die raiders because we were short on raiders.

Maninder Singh and Nitin continued to struggle with their problems this season. While other players were young and inexperienced. Moreover, we had an unsettled defense and therefore we had to go for do-or-die raids to stabilize the game,”

Kabaddi background

Prashant Surve also opened up about his Kabaddi journey. He rolled back the pages and mentioned all his achievements and accolades.

“I started as a sportsman at Union Bank in 1997. I have played senior nationals seven times and currently coach the Union Bank team. I’ve managed the Maharashtra senior team where I had won a medal. In PKL 9, I joined Bnegal Warriorz as an assistant coach and after serving as the assistant coach for a couple of years, I was promoted to the head coach role this season,” he quipped.

Standout performers for Bengal Warriorz

While speaking about the standout performers for the Bengal Warriorz, Surve confidently mentioned the names of Nitin Kumar and Sushil Kambarekar and said that these two players will become superstars in the coming years.

“I feel Nitin Kumar and Sushil Kambarekar. Sushil will become a big star in the upcoming games without a doubt,” he shared.

Lack of domestic defenders

The head coach was quizzed about the reason behind the lack of defenders in the Indian Kabaddi circuit. He said that this is a big problem and to deal with it many reforms need to be done at the ground level.

“There is a lack of both cover and defenders in India. It is a point of concern and a lot of work is needed at the local level, junior, and sub-junior level. The federation needs to work on it,” he concluded.

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