PKL Season 12: Dabang Delhi coach credits teamwork for second trophy
Narwal, who was the captain of Dabang Delhi when it lifted its maiden PKL trophy in Season 8, became only the second person after Manpreet Singh to win the PKL title both as player and coach.
NEW DELHI: Joginder Narwal’s Dabang Delhi KC etched its name in the history books after clinching its second Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title, securing a narrow 31-28 victory against Puneri Paltan in the PKL 12 Final on Friday night.
Narwal, who was the captain of Dabang Delhi when it lifted its maiden PKL trophy in Season 8, became only the second person after Manpreet Singh to win the PKL title both as player and coach.
Reflecting on his historic achievement at the post-match press conference, the head coach shared, “I might be the luckiest player to play in the PKL. When we won in Season 8, my son lifted the trophy with me. I’ve played kabaddi for over 30 years, giving it my heart and soul, and achieved some special things in this sport. It’s a proud moment for me to win the trophy as captain and coach.”
Further shedding some light on his team’s composition, Narwal credited his players while drawing comparisons with the side that won the trophy in PKL 8. He said, “When I won it as a captain, Ashu Malik, Neeraj Narwal and Naveen Kumar were all part of my team. My mentor, Krishan Kumar Hooda sir was the coach back then, and he put together a similar blend of players. There was Jeeva Kumar, Manjeet Chhillar, Ajay Thakur, Sandeep Narwal and me, with Ashu and Naveen in the raiding department.”
“This year, we had Fazel, Surjeet, Saurabh and Sandeep. Alongside them, Ashu, Ajinkya and Neeraj were the raiders. The team has performed extremely well this season, and this trophy is a reward for all their hard work. My work goes behind the scenes, but they put in the work on the mat. I’m really grateful for each and every one of them”, he stated.
Meanwhile, the head coach also put the spotlight on his captain, Ashu Malik, who emerged triumphant after battling through injuries throughout the season. “Ashu has always been our lead raider, but we also had Neeraj, Ajinkya, Naveen, and Mohit. Everyone did well for us. When Ashu injured his nose in the league stage, we wanted him to be on the bench, but he refused. No matter how painful it was for him, he stayed on the mat. That’s his confidence. He did the same when he got the ankle injury too. We didn’t want him to take so much of the load then because we had faith in the rest of the team”, Narwal mentioned.
“He (Ashu) has got that fire within him, and for us as a team – Fazel, Surjeet, me – we were his pillars, standing right next to him. So, we all supported each other and that’s the reason whoever got a chance, did well throughout the season. Such was the bonding in our team”, the head coach added.
