Kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi... That time of the year to raid and cheer is back again.
The third season of the Pro Kabaddi League started with a U Mumba-Telugu Titans clash on January 30 in Visakhapatnam. It is not before long that the matches will come home, to Patna.
Patna is set to seven matches this season from February 16 much to the joy of kabaddi enthusiasts in the city. The matches will be played at Patliputra Sports Complex and the first of the Pirates' home match is scheduled against the Bengal Warriors on February 16 at 8pm.
AN College student Vikram Kumar, a keen follower of the matches the past two seasons, said: "We are very excited about the kabaddi matches starting once again in Patna. Seven matches are lined up here and I will try to watch all of them live."
On a different note, he added: "Patna lacks proper facilities for cricket or hockey matches to be hosted here. So, at least we can entertain ourselves with the kabaddi matches."
Fans like Vikram will notice some differences during the matches at the Patliputra Sports Complex this year though as the home team's captain and coach have changed.
For coach, the Pirates have Arjuna awardee Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan instead of R.S. Khokhar. Rakesh Kumar, who led the team the past two editions, is not part of the playing team this year as well as he has been rested for injuries. Star raider Manpreet Singh is leading the pack from the front instead. Patna Pirates already have their first match of the season in bag with the team sitting in fifth position on the league table.
In their first match on February 1, the Pirates beat the Jaipur Pink Panthers in Visakhapatnam by one point bagged in a decisive last raid.
Raiders play a crucial role in winning points in a kabaddi tie. To win a point, a raider must take a deep breath and hold it, run into the opposing half, tag one or more members of the opposite team and return to his home half before inhaling again. The raider has to chant "kabaddi, kabaddi" to show the referee he has not inhaled in the opposition half. The defenders tagged in a successful raid have to leave the court temporarily (the same number of players of the raider's team who were "out" can return to court). For every player tagged in a successful raid, one point is earned.
Patna Pirates have been in the top four positions of the tournament since season I. Now, under Manpreet's leadership, the team is aiming clinch the season III title.
Apart from Manpreet, the Pirates will depend on Sandeep Narwal, their star all-rounder and raider, Gurvinder Singh, Sunil Jaglan, Amit Hooda and Rajesh Mondal.
Rajesh Shah, the owner of the team, said: "This time we have made a few changes in our team. There are more youths this year, making the team more energetic."
Manpreet has represented India from 2000-2007. He was also part of the national team winning gold at the 2002 Asian Games held in Busan, South Korea. In 2006, Manpreet was in the Indian kabaddi squad that defeated Iran 29-19 in the finals of the 2007 Kabaddi World Cup.
