In spite of gaining a foothold in the early stages of the summit clash, the Ahmedabad-based franchise bogged down under pressure and let the trophy slip from its hands. Raider K Prapanjan believes his new employer, Fortunegiants, will go one better this time around. “The side couldn’t win the title in 2017. All the members of GFG are working with one goal in mind, to cross the final hurdle and bag the trophy,” Prapanjan sounded optimistic.  

The 25-year-old racked up 123 points in his 22 appearances for Tamil Thalaivas in Pro Kabaddi 2017, with an average of just above five points per game. The towering raider was snapped up by GFG for Rs 38 lakh in PKL 2018 auctions, making him a prominent member of the raiding department spearheaded by Sachin. “I am honoured to play for GFG, which did really well (last year). All the other teams will be wary of our strengths. I am excited to be a part of this journey,” added Prapanjan through a telephonic conversation with DT Next. 

 

The local lad has donned four different jerseys in his last four years in PKL. After a two-year stint with U Mumba, he went on to represent Telugu Titans, following which he made a switch to Thalaivas. Although he could manage only a handful of playing time during his initial tenures, Prapanjan waited patiently to execute his expertise on the mat. Talking about being on the move almost every year, he remarked, “When you shift franchises, you obviously get to meet a lot of new players. Irrespective of which team I have played for, I always went into a season with a mindset to learn something new from the coaches.”

The Manpreet Singh-managed outfit made a double swoop for Prapanjan and South Korean Dong Geon Lee, both of whom represented Thalaivas last season, at the Pro Kabaddi 2018 auctions. Despite 5000 kms separating the duo’s homelands, the sport of kabaddi has bridged them together. “Lee arrived just a few days ahead of the season. I didn’t want him to feel lonely and hence I decided to spend more time with him. He was with me last year too. We share a good rapport between us,” signed off Prapanjan.