Jaipur Pink Panthers will lift trophy in PKL 11 says star defender Lucky Sharma: Exclusive

Panthers will kick off their PKL 11 campaign against Bengal Warriorz.

Jaipur Pink Panthers have been a team to watch in almost every Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season. Even in the last season, they lost to the mighty Haryana Steelers in the Semifinal to get de-railed from the competition. Moving on from that setback, in PKL 11, the team has created new combinations of amazing players and will look to convert this season to their third title.

Fans have a lot of expectations from Arjun Deshwal and company this season. Apart from Arjun Deshwal, Lucky Sharma is one of the players who has been with the Pink Panthers for the last few years. Furthermore, the same year Lucky Sharma joined the team, Jaipur Pink Panthers won their second title. So, he might be referred to as a lucky charm by some. We had the opportunity to talk with this rising defender and here is what he has to say about the upcoming season.

What can make Jaipur Pink Panthers champion in PKL 11?

Our defence and attack, are both amazing. In defence we have Ankush, and Mr. Surjeet, and in raiding we have Shrikant, Arjun who are having a blast in practice. Everyone is working very hard, so we will lift the trophy this year.  

Do limited opportunities to play as a substitute affect performance?

While talking about his low tackle strike rate, and how it might be a result of limited opportunities in the last couple of seasons. Lucky said, “Yes sir. For example, if a defender is getting to play whole matches then they have the opportunity to defend in the equation of super-tackles or with 4s defence. That helps in boosting the strike rate. Whereas if a defender is playing as a substitute he is mostly in do-or-die situations and that affects the strike rate negatively.”

Lucky’s idol

At first, our coach from our village, Ajay sir, was my idol. Then slowly I began to watch Pro Kabaddi, and here, Manjeet Chillar, was my favourite defender, and he is the one who inspired me to become a defender.

The incredible journey of Lucky Sharma

I started when I was in the 8th standard. We had a team from our village, so I went there daily to watch players practice. They motivated me to start with, then I started playing. First I played junior, then senior. Later, I joined the army, and because of the training, I had a gap of one year in my kabaddi practice.

After a year or so, I started to practice again and got the opportunity to join the army team. From there, I played for Servies, and then my name came into the PKL auction where I was picked by Jaipur Pink Panthers and here I am.

Aim for Pro Kabaddi League season 11

I got very limited opportunities in the previous two seasons. This time I will have many more chances and probably play all matches. The goal will be to play all matches according to the needs of my team. If I think about tackling on my own, it won’t benefit my team, so the goal is to play as per my team’s needs and play strong, the tackles will fall into place. If I get to play all 22 league matches, I aim to score above 50 tackle points this season.

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