All-rounder wants to see Bengal Warriors get back to winning ways in Season 10 after below par performances in the last two seasons
Bengal Warriors all-rounder Nitin Rawal during a training session in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Pic/Bengal Warriors
Bengal Warriors all-rounder Nitin Rawal, who was bought in the players auction for Rs 30 lakh, hopes to revive the team’s fortunes when Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) gets underway on December 2. They play their first match against Bengaluru Bulls on December 4 in Ahmedabad.
The Bengal team had won their maiden PKL title in Season 7, beating Dabbang Delhi in the final. But they were unable to continue their winning momentum in the next two seasons. In the eighth season of the tournament, Warriors finished ninth. The following year, they ended up being 11th. Rawal was a part of Jaipur Pink Panthers and Haryana Steelers before being picked by Bengal.
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“For the past two seasons, Bengal [Warriors] have not managed to qualify for the playoffs. I feel our collective aim will be to ensure the team first qualify for the playoffs, the semis and then win the title,” said Rawal, 27, who was part of the Indian team that won a gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou recently.
When asked about the tension during the controversial win over Iran 33-29 in the final of the Asian Games, he replied: “If the referee’s decision would not have been in India’s favour, the match would have been tough and results could have gone in any team’s favour. The match was delayed by 45 minutes as Iran protested the decision of awarding India three points after a raid from Pawan Kumar with just over a minute left on the clock. The Iran players staged a protest, but the decision came in India’s favour. We could have lost the point had the decision gone in Iran’s favour,” he remarked.
Interestingly, Rawal was into cricket before his uncle Pramod Rawal taught him kabaddi. “I used to play cricket when I was a kid. But my coach told me that I had a choice to play kabaddi or pursue education. In my free time, I still play cricket. I am an all-rounder in both cricket and kabaddi,” said Rawal, who admires cricket icons Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for their discipline and dedication. Before signing off, Rawal thanked PKL for making the sport popular and providing fame to the players.
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