If there is one player who repeatedly keeps the Pro Kabaddi franchises engaged at the auction, it is raider Nitin Tomar.
Nitin Tomar
Chennai:
His PKL 6 season had been cut short courtesy an injury, but he didn’t fail to leave a mark. Despite appearing in only 11 league games, the 24-year-old ended up as the side’s leading points scorer. Coming on the back of an injury-strewn campaign, Nitin is positive about bringing his ‘A’ game on to the mat.
“What’s life of a sportsperson without injuries! One thing I have learned is to not get disheartened by setbacks. I worked on my fitness in the off-season. With the kind of faith the franchise has shown in me, I am confident I will put up my best performance and live up to the expectations of the fans,” he told DT Next through an e-mail conversation.
Under Ashan Kumar, the Pune-based team had an ineffective ride in Pro Kabaddi 2018-19. As a result, he was replaced by Anup Kumar as the coach. The World Cup winner is donning the hat of a coach for the first time, having retired as a player only last year. Nitin revealed the entire squad is thrilled to work under the veteran.
“He (Anup) will always be a legend of the game. Playing under our role model is a dream come true for all of us. He has competed in the previous editions and has thorough understating of the league, which enables him to guide us well,” added the Services lad. PO Surjeet Singh and Girish Maruti Ernak form one of the deadliest defensive duos in the competition and Nitin believes their form will be crucial.
“Girish is one of the best left corners and Surjeet is among the elite in the right cover position. Their partnership is critical as it forms the basis of any strong defence. With their solid presence and tackling expertise, they will form a ruthless combination,” stated Nitin, often referred to as ‘Mr. Consistent’.
The absence of a good secondary raider prevented Puneri Paltan from ticking the scoreboard every now and then. For the upcoming season, the side has brought in Manjeet, who played the supporting act to Pardeep Narwal in PKL 6 at Patna Pirates. “Manjeet is a supremely talented player, he is a very smart raider. His performance in the previous edition was admirable. It is not about playing second fiddle to anyone. Any sport requires collective efforts, so does kabaddi,” opined Nitin.
At the recently concluded one in Mumbai, UP Yoddha and Tamil Thalaivas took turns to outbid each other before the latter put the duel to rest by offering a staggering Rs 1.20 Cr. But that was not the end of the action. Puneri Paltan decided to exercise its ‘Final Bid Match’ option on Nitin, its prized asset.
His PKL 6 season had been cut short courtesy an injury, but he didn’t fail to leave a mark. Despite appearing in only 11 league games, the 24-year-old ended up as the side’s leading points scorer. Coming on the back of an injury-strewn campaign, Nitin is positive about bringing his ‘A’ game on to the mat.
“What’s life of a sportsperson without injuries! One thing I have learned is to not get disheartened by setbacks. I worked on my fitness in the off-season. With the kind of faith the franchise has shown in me, I am confident I will put up my best performance and live up to the expectations of the fans,” he told DT Next through an e-mail conversation.
Under Ashan Kumar, the Pune-based team had an ineffective ride in Pro Kabaddi 2018-19. As a result, he was replaced by Anup Kumar as the coach. The World Cup winner is donning the hat of a coach for the first time, having retired as a player only last year. Nitin revealed the entire squad is thrilled to work under the veteran.
“He (Anup) will always be a legend of the game. Playing under our role model is a dream come true for all of us. He has competed in the previous editions and has thorough understating of the league, which enables him to guide us well,” added the Services lad. PO Surjeet Singh and Girish Maruti Ernak form one of the deadliest defensive duos in the competition and Nitin believes their form will be crucial.
“Girish is one of the best left corners and Surjeet is among the elite in the right cover position. Their partnership is critical as it forms the basis of any strong defence. With their solid presence and tackling expertise, they will form a ruthless combination,” stated Nitin, often referred to as ‘Mr. Consistent’.
The absence of a good secondary raider prevented Puneri Paltan from ticking the scoreboard every now and then. For the upcoming season, the side has brought in Manjeet, who played the supporting act to Pardeep Narwal in PKL 6 at Patna Pirates. “Manjeet is a supremely talented player, he is a very smart raider. His performance in the previous edition was admirable. It is not about playing second fiddle to anyone. Any sport requires collective efforts, so does kabaddi,” opined Nitin.