Pro Kabaddi League 2022: Manjeet Dahiya wants Kabaddi to grow as much as the Indian Premier League

Pro Kabaddi: Manjeet Dahiya attracted a big bid at auctions. (Source: Manjeet Dahiya/Instagram)

Pro Kabaddi League 2022: Raider Manjeet Dahiya triggered a bidding war at the Season 9 auctions and went to Haryana Steelers for Rs 80 lakh. The 25-year-old, in an exclusive interaction with Firstpost.com, talks about the upcoming season, return of fans, playing for Haryana, and more. Excerpts:

There was a very heavy bid for you at the Season 9 auctions. So how excited were you and what was your reaction to it? And how did you feel when you were finally selected for Haryana?

I was very happy with it. My family as well was happy with the kind of biding and the amount at which I was acquired. And I felt very good that I will be playing for my state team of Haryana.

Though you were one of the star raiders for Tamil Thalaivas, were you expecting such a heavy bid?

Yes definitely, it was supposed to happen (laughs).

How well are you settling in with the new team, while training and with the players?

Yes it is very nice here. The players are fun loving. During practice they work very hard. The coach motivates us a lot, so it is very much fun to practice with this team.

Are there any players there that you already knew, or you have played with, at state level or some other competitions?

Yes, there are such players. Mohit, Jaideep are from my own town. Nitin Raval, Rakesh as well are from here and I have played with them. So it is good to play again with them.

Haryana Steelers retained a few players and have acquired several new players as well. So how good is the team combination according to you?

Haryana have a very good team. It is balanced well. We have many new players in our team and several experienced players as well. So it is a very good team, whether you see for offensive play or defensive play.
And what do you think about the team’s chances at the PKL Season 9?

The way we have been practicing, pouring our heart into it, we are confident of doing well in the upcoming season.

How do you feel about the fact that fans will return to the stadiums this season? How much are the players motivated with fans coming in?

Fans do motivate us a lot. We become more confident once the fans come in to watch. And their support is very much necessary. We are nothing without their support. So as fans will return this time to watch the matches, we will be more motivated.

And you have played at a time when there were no fans there, which would be a lot more silent. So how was that experience?

At that time, we would concentrate only on the game. And the way crowd motivate us generally, that was absent. It looked very empty at that time. But this time around people will be there so it will be a lot more fun.

Does it ever happen that in an intense situation, the fans are cheering too loud and that might distract the players?

Distraction might happen when a new player, playing in his first season, comes out on the mat and sees a lot many people around. So it might happen at the start, but then they get used to it.

Also, there are no matches going scheduled in the northern parts of India. Would that affect the tournament or the players, considering there are many fans of the sport in north India?

See, many tournaments keep taking place in North India. The people will now watch it on TV. Kabaddi is in the heart of North India. So it won’t affect the tournament much.

How do see the growth of Kabaddi in India going forward?

I want Kabaddi to grow as much as the Indian Premier League and it is in that direction, the way we are supported by fans and Star Sports. And I feel that Kabaddi will grow a lot, going forward.

And what are your future prospects, playing for India?

It is my dream to play the Asian Games, World Cup for India and that is how I am trying to train myself.

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