'PKL has changed our lives and careers,' says ace raider Pardeep Narwal

One of the most loved Kabaddi players in the country, Pardeep Narwal said the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has turned out to be Kabaddi's biggest promoter in India, and it has changed the lives and careers of the players.

PKL is on the cusp of completing its landmark tenth season this year.

Looking back at the previous seasons, Narwal, who walked away with the Most Valuable Player award in Seasons 4 and 5, said, “PKL over the last 9 years has changed our lives and careers. PKL has helped and ensured that more people now know about us, and it has given us a lot.”

One of the deadliest raiders in the game, Pradeep has been scoring plenty of points every season. He is currently the raider with the most raid points in the history of PKL with 1568 raid points in 153 matches to his name. Narwal, who turned out for the UP Yoddhas in Season 9, has been retained for the upcoming season.

Having jumped onto the PKL bandwagon in Season 2, Narwal has entertained fans and stunned opposition defences with regularity, and ahead of the iconic 10th Season, he has his blinkers on and is focused on the top prize.

“Season 10 should be a massive milestone and we all expect the tournament to be a great one. This is a big year for the tournament, and it is fantastic that we will be going back to all the 12 cities during the competition,” he said.

Taking a walk down memory lane to his most emphatic seasons, dubki king, Narwal said, “By the time the fourth and fifth season came by, my career had already started decently, and I was doing my best to build on that. One of the biggest factors for the success that I have had is the coaches, they have helped me a lot, and I have been able to improve my game thanks to their input. My family, especially, my father had supported me a lot in the initial years, and that also was a big boost personally.”

In season 4, Narwal bagged 133 points, while in the next season, he cranked it up, walking away with a tally of 369 points, all of which came from attacking moves. Narwal hasn’t looked back after that and has been one of the most effective raiders in the tournament.

The 10th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League is slated to begin on December 2 in Ahmedabad.