PKL: Bengaluru Bulls nab Vikash Kandola for whopping Rs1.70cr

The left raider began his career with Dabang Delhi.

A raging bidding war between southern rivals Bengaluru Bulls and Tamil Thalaivas for Vikash Kandola was eventually clinched by the Bulls for the humongous amount of 1.70 crores.

Vikash Kandola is a left-raider from Sonepat, Haryana. He began his Pro Kabaddi League career with Dabang Delhi in Season 4. In Season 5, he became an integral part of the Haryana Steelers. He thrived under added responsibility as the lead raider in Season 6, bagging 172 raid points in 22 matches.

The Railways man excels in his usage of the running hand touch, often leaving defenders grasping air with his quick twists and feints. In season 6, he posted solid returns of 182 raid points and 101 effective points. He breached the 202 points in Season 7, making a name for himself with his heroic displays in the senior nationals for the star-studded Railways unit.

Vikash Kandola averaged 7.69 raid points per match and topped the Steelers’ raiding charts. He also helped the Haryana Steelers to three consecutive playoff appearances, taking over the raiding burden and maintaining a top level of raiding performance throughout.

Big shoes to fill

Vikash has posted over 150 raid points every year since Season 6. He was named the Haryana Steelers captain for season 8 after having been a key part of the leadership group. He spent an average of 68.55% of the time on the mat and soaked in the added pressure seamlessly, winning 174 raid points. His high percentage of mat-time presence is probably why Randhir Singh Sehrawat chose Vikash over Pawan Sehrawat, who spent most of last season off the mat.

The Bulls accelerated the bid to 75 Lakhs, and Tamil Thalaivas bumped it up to 80. The bid jumped quickly to a crore, with the Tamil Thalaivas in the lead. Thalaivas held their resolve even at 120 Lakhs. The bids flew till the joint record figure of 165 Lakhs and the Bulls were good for ₹ 166 Lakhs. The Bulls finally had their man Vikash Kandola at  ₹170 Lakhs.

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