Exclusive! Pro Kabaddi League changed perception of urban masses towards Kabaddi, says Dabang Delhi's Joginder Narwal

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New Delhi, Aug 27: The Delhi-leg of Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 began on Saturday (August 24) at Thaygraj Indoor Stadium. Hosts Dabang Delhi KC has won both their home games and catapulted themselves to the top of points table are aiming to continue their red hot form in the tournament. Team's captain and star defender Joginder Narwal believes his team is confident enough of doing well in the later stages of the league and making it to the finals.

In an exclusive interview with Mykhel, Dabang Delhi KC's captain and star defender Joginder Narwal said his team is confident enough of doing well in the later stages of the league and eventually making it to the finals. Here are the excerpts:

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Mykhel: What has been the secret behind your team's success in this season?

Joginder Narwal: There's no secret. You see last year we made it to the semi-finals so we have been playing good Kabaddi over the past one year. This year we aim to make it to the finals and win the trophy because Dabang Delhi KC franchise hasn't won a title yet. Hopefully, with God's grace, we'll be able to script history in this season.

MK: Dabang Delhi has strong defenders in you, Ravinder Pahal and Vishal Mane but the way Naveen Kumar and Chandran Ranjit are performing in the raiding department is simply remarkable. What do you have to say about them?

JN: You see, raiders are equally important for a team's success in the game of Kabaddi. You can't win matches if your raiders are not performing because the raiders are the only ones who tilt the game in your favour early on. Our young raiders Naveen and Chandran Ranjit have done well for us so far and hopefully, they continue doing well. A good start from the raiders encourages our defenders to perform better than them.

MK: The defenders have been doing exceedingly well in this season, what is the reason behind their success?

JN: Yes, in the previous seasons' raiders used to take away all the limelight but this time (I think) defenders have introspected and made up their minds that we are going to give our best and not allow the raiders to hog all the attention. The defenders, this year, have done their homework well and it is evident with the result. Even the mindset of the coaches have changed, they have also started realising that even the defenders can win you matches. The coaches are showing more faith in defenders this year.

MK: How satisfied are you with your team's performance in the ongoing season?

JN: I am very happy with the way we have performed in PKL 7. Our target is to win all the matches in our home leg and reach the top of the points table. We'll have to do well in the later stages of the tournament, there's no other option.

MK: How important is fitness in a Kabaddi player's life?

JN: Kabaddi and wrestling are alike in terms of practice and stamina. So the Kabaddi players train just like wrestlers. We practice nearly 2-3 hours daily and during the league, we do some extra training under the watchful eyes of trainers. As things are getting more professional with every passing season we are evolving.

MK: How pleased are you witnessing the growth of Kabaddi in India?

JN: The growth has been humongous. Ever since the introduction of PKL, the sport has grown in leaps and bounds. If you talk about approximate numbers then earlier there were some 1 lakh players in the entire country. Today nearly 10 lakh players are participating in the sport. Such has been the growth. So the talent pool is has gone bigger and that will eventually help Indian Kabaddi grow further. So the future of Kabaddi, not just in India, in fact around the globe is good.

MK: Kabaddi has been played in the country for such a long time, perhaps everyone has played this game in their schools. What according to you was the reason this game didn't get popular?

JN: You see earlier this game was played on the mud so it was considered a rustic sport. Also, hardly any matches were aired live on television so the sport couldn't connect with the urban audiences. But after PKL was introduced the perception towards the game has changed. Kabaddi is no more a rural sport, kids from well to do families aspire to be a Kabaddi player now. Even big schools are including the game of Kabaddi in their curriculum now. All this has been possible due to the Pro Kabaddi League.