"We wanted to use the FBM card for Pardeep" - UP Yoddhas coach reveals why Pardeep Narwal was not retained for Pro Kabaddi 2024 [Exclusive]

Pardeep Narwal, often hailed as the "Dubki King," is set to don the Bengaluru Bulls jersey for the 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). This marks a significant shift after three seasons with UP Yoddhas, where Narwal’s performances did not always meet the high expectations he had set through his stellar career.

Despite this, his tenure with UP Yoddhas wasn’t without its highlights. Now, Jasvir Singh, the head coach of UP Yoddhas, has shed light on Narwal’s performances during his time with the team and praised him for his contributions.

Pardeep Narwal, who was bought by UP Yoddhas ahead of PKL season 8, played 63 matches for the team, accumulating 530 points, including 26 Super 10s. While these numbers are solid by most standards, they fell short of the extraordinary levels Narwal had set for himself in previous seasons with Patna Pirates, where he earned his legendary status.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Jasvir Singh defended Narwal’s performance, emphasizing that the star raider did perform well and led the team to the playoffs on more than one occasion.

"Pardeep Narwal has performed quite well while playing for UP Yoddhas. We took him in season 8 of PKL and except for the first 3-4 matches, he did not perform well. The reason behind this was that the league was held for the first time after Covid and there were not many tournaments at that time.

"Pardeep Narwal was not in much practice and that is why he struggled in the beginning. Later he got into rhythm and performed quite well. He scored Super 10s consistently and also took us to the playoffs. He did very well for us in season 9 as well," Jasvir Singh shared.

Ahead of the PKL 11 auction, UP Yoddhas made the surprising decision to release Pardeep Narwal. It was anticipated that the team would use their Final Bid Match (FBM) card to bring him back, but that did not materialize.

Coach Jasvir Singh explained that budgetary constraints played a significant role in this decision:

"If we had retained Pardeep Narwal, we would have had to spend around Rs 1 crore. We knew that his price would not go that much in the auction and we could get him for less money. We wanted to use the FBM card for Pardeep," the coach stated.

The team had planned to retain Narwal but ended up spending a substantial portion of their budget on Bharat Hooda, which left them without enough funds to use the FBM card for Narwal.

"However, he was in the B category and Bharat Hooda came before him. We spent Rs 1.30 crore for Bharat and then we did not have money left for Pardeep. He is one of the top players in the league. If we look at his record, there is no one even close to him. We had a budget and we could not go beyond it. We also had to take defenders and other raiders. That is why we could not take him," he explained.

How Pardeep Narwal fared with the UP Yoddhas

Narwal’s first season with UP Yoddhas in PKL 8 began shakily as he struggled to find his rhythm in the post-Covid environment. However, once he regained form, he consistently scored Super 10s, taking his team to the playoffs. Over the course of three seasons, Narwal’s contribution of 530 points in 63 matches is noteworthy, yet it pales in comparison to his previous dominant displays.

His performance in PKL 9 was also commendable, with the team again making the playoffs. However, season 10 marked a downturn, with Narwal scoring only 122 points in 17 matches.

UP Yoddhas failed to qualify for the playoffs in PKL 10. The veteran raider struggled, but according to coach Jasvir Singh, the blame could not be placed solely on Narwal. Injuries and a lack of team support hindered the Yoddhas’ overall performance.

"PKL 10 was bad for our entire team, so how can we blame them for that. That season was very bad not just for Pardeep Narwal but for me and the entire team. We were troubled a lot by injuries and many of our important players were out. Pardeep Narwal was left alone and all the teams' attention was on him. Despite this, he did as much as he could. He did not get the support he needed, which also affected our performance," he said.