Anup appointed Pink Panthers captain

Despite not getting a mention on the match-day team sheet, he serves as a backbone for devising strategies and picking the right combination of players. We caught up with one such guy, Naveen Ningaiah, the video/performance analyst of Pro Kabaddi League team Jaipur Pink Panthers. 

A team of videographers work alongside him, filming the proceedings from different corners of the arena. Elaborating on the work he does, Naveen said, “We have the pre-season right now. We work on the weaknesses of our team. We do video recordings of our training sessions and let the players know what they need to improve upon.”  

“As part of build-up to a match, we do opposition analysis. Every player has got his own strengths and weaknesses. We study those. After the match, we do post-match analysis. We find out what were the key reasons for the result and where we let the game slip (in case we lost),” explained Naveen in an exclusive chat with DT Next.  

Despite inching closer to the sixth edition of PKL, not all teams have managed to rope in an analyst. Playing in its second season, home franchise Tamil Thalaivas has recruited one only this year. Speaking on how the examination differs between various sports, the Bangalore-based lad said, “Let us take football. There you work a lot on the strategies, formation and positioning. But, kabaddi is more about movements and skills. We see if the technique of a particular player needs improvement. The game context also comes into play when we do it.”

“It’s not only about the skills that a particular player possesses. Their fitness and how well they have been during the training sessions also play a part,” added the 32-year-old. Communication, be it in any field, plays a pivotal role in conveying your points with precision. “The key is to understand the game very well. You will be working with some top-notch players. You will have people from different backgrounds. It’s important to communicate well with everyone.”  

The inaugural champion is having its pre-season camp at the Sathyabama University here. The Abhishek Bachchan-owned unit will remain in the city until the conclusion of the Chennai leg of PKL 6. Head coach Srinivas Reddy, who will work in tandem with Ravi Shetty, is focussed on taking one game at a time. “We have got a very experienced and balanced squad on paper. We will go match by match. Once we start winning, it will boost the entire team moving forward,” said Srinivas. The franchise also appointed Anup Kumar as its skipper for the upcoming edition.