Vikash Kandola has been a staple name in the Haryana Steelers for the past three years, and the player was announced as the captain for the franchise in this year’s Pro Kabaddi League.
The raider has accumulated 611 raid points in his 74 appearances in the Pro Kabaddi League. He has been one of the cornerstones of the Haryana-based franchise. The Steelers spent ₹77.83 lakhs to retain the raider in this year’s auction.
Haryana’s coach Kumar recently talked about the appointment of Vikash Kandola as the new captain of the franchise and the mindset of his team as they hope to play a fearless brand of kabaddi this season.
“Vikash has been with us for the last three years and has played well in every season.
And every time he steps on the mat, he gives his hundred percent playing for the team. Therefore, we decided to appoint him as the captain.”
Kumar then went on to add that the player will have to realize the responsibilities that come off being the leader of the team. But, he is pretty confident that the new role will not hamper the player’s performance. The Haryana Steelers manager is pretty confident that the raider will perform even better than his previous stints in the league.
“I always tell my players to just be fearless and not worry about the result!”, Kumar opens up on the mindset of HS
The Steelers went up against three-time champions Patna Pirates in their first game of the league. It was a close contest as the game went on to the final raid where Patna Pirates managed to get a two-point raid registering their first victory of the season.
Prior to the game, he also spoke about the contest and the mentality of his side heading into the fixture.
“Yes, Pro Kabaddi is returning after two years, but that doesn’t mean the players haven’t been practicing. I always tell my players to be fearless and not worry about the result of the game.
We will be facing Patna Pirates, who have a good combination of players but we won’t be nervous and play with energy and enthusiasm!”
Despite the loss in the PKL opener, the Steelers had a lot of positives in the game. Star defender Surinder Nada looks as good as his prime, racking five points in the defence, including two super tackles.
Fans will hope that the side can bounce back from the early defeat and will perform well in their upcoming games.
