"I'd have to say Iran" - Pardeep Narwal picks the team that is like 'bitter gourd of international kabaddi'

Star Indian kabaddi player Pardeep Narwal recently opened up on his relationships with other international players. Narwal spoke about the rivalry between India and Iran on the mat, while also labeling the Iranian side as the 'bitter gourd of international kabaddi'.

In a recent appearance on the Unboxing Podcast, Pardeep Narwal shared his thoughts on a wide range of topics. While Pardeep has not played for India in a long time, he has represented the nation in multiple prestigious tournaments before.

When asked about the team which has the best relationship with the Indian players, Pardeep replied:

"All kabaddi players are like brothers only. No one is like an enemy. All our rivalries exist only on the mat. We have a good relationship with the Iranian players."

Next, Pardeep was asked which team is like the 'bitter gourd of international kabaddi' for India, to which he responded:

"I'd have to say Iran (laughs)."

Pardeep is currently captaining the Bengaluru Bulls team in the Pro Kabaddi League. Interestingly, there are no Iranian players in the Bulls squad this year.

"He is my good friend" - Pardeep Narwal picks Maninder Singh as the best raider of Pro Kabaddi League

In another segment of the same podcast, Pardeep had to rate raiders and pick the better player from the two names the host gave him. The host started with Maninder Singh and Sachin Tanwar, with Pardeep choosing the former.

Next, the host gave him options of Aslam Inamdar, Naveen Kumar, Ajinkya Pawar, Arjun Deshwal, Sudhakar M and Pawan Sehrawat but Pardeep ranked Maninder above them all.

"Because he is my good friend (laughs). He is a great player also," Pardeep commented.

While Pardeep and Maninder are good friends off the mat, they will soon go head-to-head in the Pro Kabaddi League. Pardeep will lead the Bengaluru Bulls against Maninder's Bengal Warriors on November 9 in Hyderabad.