New Season, New Goals: Nitesh Kumar eyes PKL 12 title with Bengal Warriorz: Exclusive

Seasoned defender, Nitesh Kumar, also spoke about young raiding star Devank Dalal and new coach Naveen Kumar.

Season 12 of the Pro Kabaddi League is just five days away and the teams are training very hard. At the Bengal Warriorz camp, the story is no different. Last season, they finished 10th on the table with 41 points—having played out five wins, 14 losses and three ties. That was a disappointing showing by a team studded with stars.

The management took some tough decisions and decided to part ways with franchise legend Maninder Singh. Under new coach Naveen Kumar, the team now has a number of fresh faces. The most prominent among them is Devank Dalal (second-most expensive player in the auction), who was the best raider by far in the previous edition with 301 raid points.

However, there are a number of players on whom the management has decided to take a punt again. One of them is veteran right corner Nitesh Kumar.

Nitesh has accumulated 409 tackle points in 150 matches, at a tackle strike rate of 49% (including twenty-eight high 5s). He started off his PKL journey in the fifth season with the UP Yoddhas. The lad from Bhiwani created history in the next edition, by scoring 100 tackle points in a single season. No other player has achieved the feat yet.

The defender’s stint with the Yoddhas was fruitful, as he played a crucial part in ensuring that his team reached the playoffs in all but one season.

Also Read: PKL 12: Bengal Warriorz’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats for Pro Kabaddi 2025

However, two back-to-back under-par campaigns meant that he was released ahead of the PKL 11 auction, where he was snapped up by the Bengal Warriorz. However, what followed was a below-par campaign for the former champions.

Nitesh though was one of the lone bright spots, as his tally of 59 tackle points in 21 matches was the joint-highest for the team in the edition.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pro Kabaddi (@prokabaddi)

While he was released before the auctions for the upcoming edition, the team decided to exercise the Final Bid Match (FBM) Card and retain his services for one more season, at a price of Rs. 20.25 lakhs.

The right corner, who turned 28 just a few days ago, will now be looking to repay the faith and play a much bigger role in PKL 12.

In an exclusive interview to Khel Now, he spoke about the training patterns, the balance of the team and his role as an experienced figure. Here is how the conversation panned out:

How is the training camp going and what are you working on?

Nitesh Kumar: The camp is going very well. We are slogging hard. In the morning, we are working on our fitness. Evenings are reserved for mat practice, with focus on improving skills and coordination.

What are your initial thoughts about working with new coach Naveen Kumar?

Nitesh Kumar: Our coach has a lot of knowledge. He was very good as a player too. It is fun to train under him. He is able to recognize even the smallest flaws. I then work on them 10-15 times. It is not me alone; his conversations with someone like Devank too has a lot of depth.

Also Read: PKL 12: Devank Dalal issues challenge to Naveen Kumar ahead of Haryana Steelers vs Bengal Warriorz blockbuster clash

Would the team be more dependent on raiders or defenders this season?

Nitesh Kumar: We have a good set of raiders, with the likes of Devank, Manprit, Himanshu and a couple of promising youngsters in our ranks. The defence includes me, Mayur, Ashish, Ankit and Sandeep, who have been doing well in practice. Both the departments are equally well placed.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bengal Warriorz (@bengal.warriors)

Your thoughts on facing defending champions Haryana Steelers in the opening fixture and what are the strategies?

Nitesh Kumar: We don’t have any specific strategies; we defeated them on both occasions in the previous season. Their confidence is up. Their raiders: Naveen, Vinay and Shivam are good. Our focus will be on containing them.

Can you break your own record of 100 tackle points?

Nitesh Kumar: I can tell you that only after the season starts. But I have worked very hard. There was special focus given on skills such as the ankle hold, as I have not used the same often previously.

Also Read: PKL 12: What will be Bengal Warriorz’s starting 7 in Pro Kabaddi 2025?

What are your thoughts about raider Devank Dalal?

Nitesh Kumar: Last season, we only played two matches against each other. Even in those, there were durations where one of us was off the mat. Now, we are playing with each other almost two hours daily.

His skillsets are good, and confidence is high. That is a huge positive for the team, since the defence can play freely if Devank goes all out.

As a senior player in the team, what is your relationship with the youngsters?

Nitesh Kumar: I am young too and have a lot of kabaddi left to play (laughs). But yes, we have got a good set of NYP players. I sit and have friendly chats with the juniors. At the same time, I am serious on the ground. What we do here in training, reflects on the performances in the actual matches.

Message to the Bengal Warriorz fans as well as his own fans

Nitesh Kumar: Keep supporting us passionately. This time, we will be coming in all guns blazing.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Kabaddi on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.