PKL 8- 'Our coach is here to take all the pressure’: Haryana Steelers captain Kandola unfazed by new responsibility

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is all set for its return after a massive two-year-long hiatus, due to wretched Covid-19, and the fans and will finally get to witness some of their favourites stars battle it out on the mat. Ahead of the commencement of PKL 8, there is one name that is common in everyone's mind. And that name is the newly-appointed captain of the Haryana Steelers, Vikash Kandola. 

Kandola will lead a rejuvenated Steelers side in the upcoming edition after a successful PKL 7 campaign. After failing to make the playoffs in their first two seasons, PKL 5 & 6, the Haryana outfit got that monkey off their back in the previous season. Their wrecker-in-chief was their star raider Kandola, who finished sixth in the list of most points in the season with 195. The management, soon after the mega auctions, decided to hand over the reins to Kandola.

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-COACH IS HERE TO TAKE ALL THE PRESSURE-

While answering a question posed by the Hindustan Times during a virtual pre-tournament press conference, organised by the Haryana Steelers, Kandola revealed that he doesn't feel the weight of the captaincy. 

“There's no pressure at all. Our coach sir is here to take in all the pressure, so we don't need to take any (smiles). I will continue to play the way I have in the past. I have to take the team forward as one and together. I will need to take care of who will raid when and in the defensive line-up, I have no issues as senior players like Surender Nada and Ravi [Kumar] are there. Yes, I will have to take care of the raiding department which consists of numerous talented raiders like Rohit Gulia and Vinay. So, there's no added pressure of the captaincy,” explained Kandola. 

-ROHIT GULIA, A VALUABLE ADDITION-

Haryana-born Kandola possesses a calm personality. Off the mat, he is very approachable and quite rarely will one spot him without a smile. The moment he steps onto the mat under the lights, he brings on his A-game and starts picking up points one by one. This time around, he will have a familiar face in Rohit Gulia in the raiding department. They two have played together for the same time in the national championships and Kandola believes the former Gujarat Fortune Giants player will provide great value to the team.

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“Rohit Gulia is a brilliant all-rounder. He defends as well as he raids. We play together for the Railways in the [Kabaddi] Nationals, so we can use him in defense apart from utilizing his services during raiding. If we lost a player on a flank, we can bring him in on either side; be it left-right corner or left-right cover. This is why he will be extremely useful for the team as he is an all-rounder,” Kandola remarked. 

-FROM THE COACH'S CORNER-

Following the auctions, each team will step out with an amalgamation of fresh and some old faces. They will also have a few from the New Young Players (NYP) category. Hence, it becomes imperative for the teams to ensure a strong team bond is formed and that everyone is operating on the same frequency. For Haryana Steelers, by the admission of their and former India vice-captain Rakesh Kumar, it hasn't been of any trouble and that they have acted accordingly.

"Every team is facing the same challenge, not like it's only happening to us. After the massive two-year gap, a lot of new talent has come through and some of them have also come into our team. Moreover, a lot of them will be playing in the PKL for the first time. This is why I organized the camp very early so I could get the NYP players introduced and accustomed to the team environment. Moreover, we didn't really face any problem (with team bonding). This year, we will get witness something different in this league," concluded Kumar.

Haryana Steelers will begin their campaign against the Patna Pirates on Thursday, December 23.

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