Young players will benefit from PKL 5, says Haryana Steelers coach (IANS interview)

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) debutants Haryana Steelers coach Rambir Singh Khokhar feels that the ongoing fifth season will help young players to get further recognition and establish their careers.

"The young players will be established and get recognition from the league this season while the old horses will have to work harder to stay in the competition, this is a change. All the young players in the different sides will get their recognition," Khokhar told IANS.

The coach also pointed out that the performance of young raiders Sachin and Rohit Gulia helped debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants defeat former PKL champions U Mumba by a margin of 18 points on Friday evening.

"Like you saw in Gujarat's match, the young player in their side are 20-21 years old, Gulia and Sachin similarly Vikas Kandola of our side who is 19, all these news boys will do exceptionally well," the 63-year-old said.

Khokhar, who has 40 years of experience in the field of kabaddi, also claimed that he knew right from the beginning of the tournament that the young players will show their mettle this season.

"I always knew it, cent percentage, the new young players will also perform well in the next season's kabaddi auction," the coach said.

Haryana captain Surender Nada said the team is getting better with time and every individual in the team is important.

"From the first match that we lost due to lack of combination we did better in the next match our confidence in increasing with every match, for us all our players are important, everyone has a specified role, as a captain my role is to control the team and perform well during crucial situations," Nada said.

The team's assistant coach L. Srinivas Reddy also praised their foreign player -- Thailand captain Khomsan Thogkam -- who delivered a fine performance at the Kabaddi World Cup last year.

"See he delivered a fine performance in the World Cup that is why he is in our side. He is not only captain for Thailand but he has a good technique that every raider should have. He also has good height which also helps him to conduct successful raids," Reddy explained.

(Samrat Chakraborty can be contacted at samrat.c@ians.in)

--IANS

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