BENGALURU: In the last edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, Bengaluru Bulls’ triumph was somehow bittersweet. Amid the joy of wining the title, Bulls had to find a new home in Pune, just as they had done in the previous campaign, while all other franchises were playing from their home bases. However, this time, the team is back to its home city after a two-year gap. The Rohit Kumar-led side will play four matches in front of a vociferous crowd at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium from August 31 to September 6 in the seventh edition of PKL, which gets underway on July 20.
In the last few seasons, the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), which owns the stadium, denied permission for PKL on various grounds. But after both the parties — DYES and Bulls management — found common grounds, the city will have their champions back.
“We are really happy to be back. We did receive a lot of support in Pune and Nagpur, but it was not the same as playing on your home ground. We need the love and support of the home crowd to defend our title. The aim will be to continue doing well, especially here,” said Rohit.
The comeback will also work as a motivating factor for the team in its quest to defend the title. Bulls managed to hang on to their star performers and despite the notable absence of Kashiling Adake, who was one of their best performers, they look solid on paper. Last season’s top raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat will partner Rohit in the attacking department while all-rounder Ashish Kumar and defender Mahender Singh will provide defensive cover.
“Kashi was a great player with a lot of experience. He won us a lot of matches. He is not there this time but we have Vinod Kumar and Sumit,” said Rohit, who was Bulls’ second top scorer with 171 points.
“As for Pawan, he won almost all the matches for us. He will again be one of the key raiders as he has the capability to turn games. So we have a good mixture of both attack and defence. I am hopeful of a good season,” Rohit said. He, however, believes that in spite of the positives, the team must work on all the departments collectively to continue the success story.
“Last season, raiders got us points, and the defenders benefited from that. They were not under so much pressure. Even if the defenders made mistakes, the raiders took over and helped them. We have to continue that,” said Rohit. “We will focus on raiding. As for the defenders, if they don’t win a point, they should not let the other team win a point as well.”