PKL 9: Gujarat Giants' raider Rakesh took kabaddi as career option after watching Pro Kabaddi on TV

Bengaluru, Oct 20: Gujarat Giants' emerging player Rakesh has revealed that he harboured the dream of playing in the Pro Kabaddi League after watching the second season of the lucrative domestic kabaddi competition on the television screen in his village.

Today, the 20-year-old is proving himself as one of the best raiders in the business as he has scored a whopping 60 points in the PKL Season 9. Rakesh has made major contributions to Gujarat Giants' two victories in the season so far.

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Speaking about how he developed an interest in kabaddi, Rakesh said, "I attained a huge interest in kabaddi after watching the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League on television. I started playing the game seriously in my village at that time."

Rakesh set the stage on fire with 140 points in his debut season in 2021-22 and continues to prove his mettle from the start of Season 9 as well. When asked about the secret behind his success, he said, "There's no secret. I practised very well before the season and we underwent great training with our coach. We had a pre-season training camp in Gandhinagar for one and a half months. We practised every morning and evening and our coach worked with us on every aspect of our game."

When asked if he has any added pressure on him when the team is not winning games, Rakesh said, "I don't feel any extra pressure. The team will start performing better in the upcoming matches. We have to work on our defence and I am certain that our defenders will put up good performances in the future."

Rakesh also spoke about the defenders he enjoys playing against, "My confidence in my abilities is higher than what it was last season. And I am determined to help my team win the trophy. I really enjoy playing against defenders such as Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh and Fazel Atrachali."

Matches on Friday:

Match 1: U Mumba will be looking to bounce back after going down 28-30 to Puneri Paltan in their previous game. However, Haryana Steelers' raiders Manjeet and Meetu are in tremendous form and will pose a strong challenge to the Mumbai side.

Match 2: The Bengal Warriors will be hoping to find form again after a crushing 24-39 loss to Jaipur Pink Panthers in their last game, but the Puneri Paltan are on a high after their thrilling 26-25 victory over Telugu Titans.

Match 3: The Patna Pirates are desperately looking for a victory as they are yet to register a victory in the competition, but they will be up against a raging Dabang Delhi KC, who have been unbeaten in the tournament so far.

Where to watch: Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar from 7:30 PM onwards.