Mumbai, 7th January 2023: With 67 raid points in eight matches, young right-raider Nitin Kumar Dhankad has been a revelation for the Bengal Warriors in Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League. At 22, he has the second-highest raid points in his team, behind the mighty Maninder Singh who is second on the charts in the opening stages of the season with 89 Raid Points to his name. And it is no surprise that the young star is so good, given where he started his career as a raider.
“I started my career at the Pardeep Narwal Academy in Sonipat under coach Naresh Narwal. I have always had the support of my family. My family has never had a problem with me playing Kabaddi, right from when I started, till now that I am a kabaddi player with the Bengal Warriors,” said the young raider speaking ahead of their next match against the Haryana Steelers on January 7.
His talent in the sport of Kabaddi was quite evident, and eventually, he began proving himself in the Yuva Kabaddi Series with the Hampi Heroes in 2022. Nitin showed his class as a raider, with his team finishing third in the tournament. The Haryana-based youngster is proud of his performance and that helped him seal a contract with the Capri Sport-owned side.
“Participating in the Yuva Kabaddi league was a very good experience for me. After that, we had a trial for the Pro Kabaddi League, Where I performed to the best of my abilities. After that, I played a couple of tournaments in Mumbai where I performed well.
“I am very grateful to Capri Sports who have given me a chance to pursue a career in Kabaddi, and playing for the Bengal Warriors in the Pro Kabaddi League is now a dream come true. The rise of a league like the PKL has been a grace for Kabaddi players and now with the Yuva Kabaddi Series developing players like me has given us a lot of hope for the future, both economically and as a fan of Kabaddi,” said an emotional Nitin.
The Bengal Warriors and their form in season 10 of the PKL makes for a bright future, believes the right raider. “Winning and losing is a part of this game. Here and there we can make mistakes, but we need to learn how to work on those mistakes. We need to talk to each other and work with each other so that we can improve the team together as a group.
“We have almost half a season left and a lot more to offer the team. When we leave here at the end of the season, we will learn a lot more than we did at the start of the season. We have 2 matches in Mumbai for this leg of the pro kabaddi league. We are going to give everything that we can as a team and win both matches,” concluded Nitin.
From Yuva Kabaddi to the big leagues: The rise of young Bengal Warriors’ raider Nitin Kumar
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