PKL 2018 | Manjeet’s tryst with kabaddi after leaving behind wrestling

It was match number 74 and the defending champions Patna Pirates were up against Tamil Thalaivas in the first game of that evening in Ahmedabad. The match saw the Pirates taking revenge of the loss in the opening evening against the team from Chennai by thrashing them by a huge margin of 45-27 points. Although Pardeep Narwal was their star in that lopsided contest, a youngster from Haryana surprised many with his three tackle points in that encounter. 

The Pirates decided to do away with Monu Goyat in the auction and he went for a whopping price for the Haryana Steelers for the sixth season of the league. In the absence of Goyat, Deepak was expected to take up the supporting role for skipper Pardeep in the Pirates raiding unit but that didn’t work out in the first few games. That is where Manjeet stepped up for coach Ram Mehar Singh’s rescue as he collected eight points in his debut game against the Thalaivas in Chennai. Now, all the three Patna raiders are in the Top 20 raiders list as Deepak has also started contributing well during the raids for the Pirates. 

Growing up in a small village Garhi Sisana in Haryana’s Sonipat district, Manjeet was inspired by his uncle Bal Kishan, a national level wrestler for Services and started wrestling. But, it was his uncle only who advised him to take up kabaddi instead of wrestling as his physique was not that great for the sport. Manjeet always credits his uncle for whatever success he has achieved in the sport so far. 

“I started as a wrestler but didn’t do that well during my early days in wrestling. I was not that strongly built as well and he advised me to take up kabaddi. 

The transition wasn’t that tough for Manjeet who came from a place which has produced a large number of international players in both sports. Manjeet joined the Indian Army in sports quota and represented the Services team which finished second in the Senior Nationals earlier this year. He did manage to impress a few of the franchises with his performance there which got him a price of Rs 20.4 lakh from the Pirates. And now he has proven the scouts right after performing at the bigger stage with a total of 58 raid points from 14 games this season. He has just one Super 10 to his name and a couple of Super Raids but that doesn’t make him less important in a team which already has Pardeep and Deepak. He makes good use of his reach and his swift movement on the mat has made him very effective in the Pirates camp. 

“Ram Mehar Sir’s experience both as an international player and a coach matters a lot to me and the team. He takes total care of our practice and diet during the matches and his instructions are valuable for my growth in kabaddi,” explained Manjeet.

“Apart from being a raider, the coach advised me to play openly without any pressure during the opponent’s raids. In the game against the Thalaivas, playing without any burden helped me to get the tackle points in my favour.”

“Pardeep is very calm and composed and he is someone who binds the team together. His advice and support matter a lot to me during the PKL games. In kabaddi, I look forward to Pardeep as a player and want to be a raider like him having all the skills to be successful in my career ahead,” the youngster concluded.