Pro Kabaddi League 2017 Season 5: Bengaluru Bulls coach feels older players will struggle in PKL's longer format

Anup Kumar, Jasvir Singh, Dharmaraj Chelarathan, Rakesh Kumar – all of them are extremely fine players but happen to be above 32 years of age. And Bengaluru Bulls coach, Randhir Singh believes that players aged above 32 will have a tough time in Pro Kabaddi Season 5.

“Since it’s a long season, players aged above 32-33 won’t be useful this time. There are many players in my team who are playing in this competition for the first time, including three players in the first seven,” he stated.

A side that is filled with debutants, Bengaluru Bulls displayed unexpected composure in the manner in which they handled their business on the mat. Not a single player froze under pressure and their tactical approach took Telugu Titans by surprise, as they registered a comfortable 31-21 victory.

“I told my players to focus on Rahul Chaudhari and Nilesh Salunke. For the past four days, we kept planning strategies against them for the first match and it was largely successful. I can’t tell you the strategy since we have to play Telugu Titans again soon,” he said.

Further quipped on his stance of not selecting experienced players in his squad, Randhir Singh believes that older players will struggle in Pro Kabaddi’s longer format. He is only looking for fresh legs.

“This is my personal opinion because it’s very difficult to play kabaddi on the mat that too for three months. The oldest player in my team is 26, Ravinder Pahal. We give a platform to new kids, as the season progresses we will see.

“I am the one who gave Pardeep Narwal the platform, I picked him up from his house. In the beginning, he was scared. If we don’t give a platform to the new kids, then how will it work? How long can these old players play?”, the coach added.

Bengaluru’s star raider and captain, Rohit Kumar was season 4’s fourth best raider, scoring an impressive 93 points but Randhir has advised Rohit not to aim to dethrone Pardeep Narwal and Rahul Chaudhari.

“I look at it in a different way, I don’t focus on individual glory. If the team loses and Rohit Kumar scores 400 points in a season, I wouldn’t consider it a success. This is not individual athletics. Telugu have Rahul Chaudhari, Nilesh Salunke and Rakesh Kumar but this is a team game, there are certain players who play for individual glory,” he said.

The coach revealed an interesting story about his experience of selecting young players for the fifth season. His aim was to ensure players remained fit and motivated throughout the season.

“These kids have never played under the lights. They used to play on the mud in their village. I even had problems in helping them wear shoes. But I am very happy now and I know they will do better,” he signed off.