PUNE, 15th December 2023: The fans were at the edge of their seats during the last minute of the match between Gujarat Giants and U Mumba. Both teams were locked at 36-36 when the Giants’ Captain Fazel Atrachali directed Sonu to go for the all-important raid.
With the entire stadium chanting ‘Sonu Sonu’ the raider, who missed out on the eighth season due to an ankle injury and a few games in Season 9 due to the recurrence of the same injury, moved into U Mumba’s side of the mat with confidence. Within a few seconds, he caught Rinku, Guman Singh and Amirmohammad Zafardanesh to complete a Super Raid and seal the deal for his team. This has been the story of the Gujarat Giants this season. Whenever they needed someone to step up, Sonu has been their man.
When asked about how he has dealt with injuries in his career, the 23-year-old said, “I incurred an injury during a practice session before the eighth season. I twisted my ankle and my bone broke. I couldn’t walk properly for two months. Then I took one year to recover fully. However, I experienced ankle pain after four games in Season 9. I took some rest and played some more games.”
With being fully fit this year, Sonu is absolutely enjoying his time with the legendary Fazel Atrachali, who has been known to be a mentor to many youngsters in the league. Speaking about him, the raider said, “Fazel has a lot of experience and it’s a lot of fun to play with him. He corrects our mistakes and treats us like brothers. He has told us to play freely and not worry about anything else. If a certain game doesn’t go according to our plans then he said he will be the one who will step up for the team.”
Kabaddi has always been an integral part of the people’s lives in his village in Panipat, Haryana. Going back to his formative years in kabaddi, Sonu said, “My elder brother used to play kabaddi and he used to take me to the ground. Then I joined a camp in SAI near my house and I worked very hard there. Thereafter, I just kept going through the levels – district, nationals & state and gained a lot of confidence. There are a lot of players from our village, who have gone on to play in the Pro Kabaddi League. My brother is trying to join the league too.”
Preview for the matches on Saturday:
The Bengal Warriors will be hoping to continue their brilliant form when they take on Puneri Paltan. However, the home side will receive a significant boost when they make their moves in front of their passionate fans. The Warriors will bank on their Captain Maninder Singh, meanwhile, Aslam Inamdar will lead the charge for the Pune side.
The Telugu Titans will be hoping to get on board when they go up against Dabang Delhi K.C. in the second match of the day. However, the Delhi side’s Captain Naveen Kumar will be high on confidence after scoring 16 points in his team’s last game against Haryana Steelers.
Please find below the schedule for PKL Season 10 match on Saturday
Game 1 – Puneri Paltan vs Bengal Warriors – 8 pm
Game 2 – Telugu Titans vs Dabang Delhi K.C. – 9 pm
Season 10 of the Pro Kabaddi League will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and for free on Disney+ hotstar.
