The four seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League have taken the sport to new heights, not just in India but also across the world. The Kabaddi World Cup last year saw a total of 12 nations from across continents take part, with the likes of Argentina, Kenya and Poland also competing.
With the auction for the fifth season all set for tomorrow, foreign players from 10 countries will go under the hammer. Three of them will be from Poland – Michal Spiczko, Filip Szczeski and Piotr Sitek, who were part of the side that defeated Iran in the World Cup group stages.
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Spiczko will be the only Polish player in Category B at the auction and is the only one from his country with prior PKL experience. He has been a part of the Bengaluru Bulls side, where he played two matches and scored 16 raid points.
Also read: Pro Kabaddi 2017 Season 5 auction: Full player list and categories revealed!
He spoke to Sportskeeda prior to the auction. Here are a few excerpts!
How excited are you to be part of PKL 5 auctions?
I am convinced that the day of the auction will be one of the most important days of my life. I believe that ProKabaddi teams have noticed that I'm a true leader and athlete.
My dedication to kabaddi is huge, I have been working very hard for a long time and it's really difficult to describe how excited I am right now. On May 22, the whole Polish team will gather together to watch the auction. This is the number one subject here!
How has the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup experience helped you improve your kabaddi skills?
It was an amazing experience for me and for my team. When I look back at our matches from the World Cup, I see how we were improving game by game. We have noticed and figured plenty of details and specifics of the game and we're implementing them here in Poland.
We're glad and thankful for having an opportunity to participate in the World Cup. We know we have a lot to prove in the future.
Which kabaddi player do you look up to and why?
Manjeet Chillar as a captain and Ajay Thakur as a raider are true role models to me. I met them in 2015 when I was with Bengaluru Bulls for the first time, so I was in a perfect place to watch the best kabaddi players in the world. Manjeet's wrestling experience convinced me to add wrestling to my preparation program. Now I wrestle twice a week with Polish and Russian wrestlers.
Nowadays, the biggest influencer to my game is the best defender of the league, Fazel Atrachali. We are very close friends and he loves Poland, so he decided to visit me here in Warsaw. We have trained together for almost two months and I can guarantee that he has made a huge impact on my skills and the whole Polish team’s.
How has kabaddi as a sport grown in Poland?
We are still moving forward. The World Cup was a great motivation for the entire Polish kabaddi society. Fazel motivated players as well and his presence here in Poland proved that kabaddi in Poland is something big and valuable. We have players from all states of our country, some of them spending three hours on a train to get to our training gym.
We are also building a women's kabaddi team and in September, we will start a kabaddi program in schools for kids. I believe that in the near future, the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) will notice us and help us make kabaddi grow in Poland. Moreover, I hope that India will take more players from Poland for the Pro Kabaddi League, what will have a significant impact for kabaddi in Europe.
We have a talented young raider Piotr Pamulak, who shined in the World Cup. He is the future of Polish Kabaddi. We have amazing defenders who are athletic, hardworking, quick-learning, enjoy the game and are 100% professional. Filip Szczeski and Piotr Sitek were fan favourites and everyone noticed that.
Vivo ProKabaddi season 5 is coming. It will be the biggest, the longest and the best event in the history of kabaddi. We are aware of that, we are extremely happy and excited that we can witness it. And last but not the least, we are ready!
Related: In exclusive interview, Anup Kumar reveals who would be his first pick in the season 5 auction
