Pro Kabaddi League season 8 table-toppers Patna Pirates beat Telugu Titan 38-30 on Monday and are now guaranteed a spot in the top two.
Before the last year’s auctions, many were surprised not to find Pardeep Narwal’s name in the Patna Pirates’ list of retained players.
Narwal was the main catalyst behind the team’s iconic three title wins in seasons 3, 4 and 5. He shone for the Pirates, breaking all the records and earning the nickname “Record-breaker”.
In season 6 and 7, he did what he always did best. He brought in massive raid points for his team, but in those two campaigns, he never got the support he would have liked from his other teammates.
According to some media reports, the player himself did not want to be retained by the Pirates either. PP head coach Ram Mehar Singh had also confirmed before and after the auctions that Pardeep wanted to get into the auctions.
Be that as it may, Pardeed ended up in UP Yoddha, and Patna moved on from one of its most popular raiders.
Season 8 of the tournament is now at its fag end, and the Pirates are leading the points table. The best thing about this Patna Pirates side is that it is not dependent on one single individual. From raiders to defenders, whosoever has gotten the chance has performed.
“When we selected the team no one gave us any chance that we would qualify in the top twp, but the way we prepared our team, the way we went about our business in the coaching camp and the way we fed our players with the confidence that they need to play as a unit, it’s a result of our defence and offence playing in unison that we have reached the playoffs in top two,”
Ram Mehar Singh said in his post-match presser, as per Sportskeeda.