Mumbai, Oct 4 (IANS): The Bengaluru Bulls have a new hero in the camp as coach Randhir Singh unleashes his newest weapon in his mission for the vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9.
With Vikash Kandola set to script a new chapter for the Bulls, and with the big boots of Pawan Serahwat to be filled, a lot is riding on the star raider as he starts his journey with his new franchise. Bengaluru Bulls left no stone unturned in their efforts to sign Vikash Kandola, with a raging bidding war with the Tamil Thalaivas to get his services for a whopping Rs. 1.70 crore.
Vikash has consistently scored over 170 raid points over the past 3 seasons, making him one of the top 5 raiders in the PKL since Season 6.
The Bengaluru Bulls can expect a lot from their newest acquisition in the side, as they gear up for the vivo Pro Kabaddi League season 9.
Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show 'Total KBD - Asli Panga', Bengaluru Bulls Coach Randhir Singh, star raider Vikash Kandola and players from the Bengaluru Bulls team spoke about Vikash's addition to the franchise and what he brings to the squad.
Coach Randhir Singh said,"I thought that I should get Vikash into the team because it was his dream to play under me. I had a budget of 1.10 or 1.20 for Vikash, but we desperately needed an A-Grade player and we weren't getting any, so I went ahead with him."
Vikash Kandola said, "Even I didn't know when I would get an opportunity to play under Coach Randhir. This time, I have got an opportunity, and I will try and learn new skills and do things differently.
"My job is that wherever and whenever possible, I will try and support the team anyway I can, so that it's beneficial for the team. And as a senior raider, my job is to try and make the other raiders understand what needs to be done in different situations of the match."
With an average of 7.69 raid points per match for the Haryana Steelers, Vikash was able to guide them to the Playoffs on three occasions, with some stellar performances throughout his tenure with the franchise.
Vikash spent a major portion of last season on the mat with 68.55 per cent of mat time which soaked up a lot of pressure for his team. With Pawan Sehrawat now gone, it is time for Vikash Kandola to take over the reins and help the Bengaluru Bulls in their journey to become champions of vivo PKL Season 9.
Coach Randhir further added, "Vikash is a very talented player. He only needs to add finishing to his game now. He's a good player with a good reach and is very fast. Whatever weakness he has, I will try and remove it from his game. I think among all the left raiders in India, he is ranked at number one or two."
Vikash Kandola said, "I have learnt a lot over here and even in the future, during the camp and the tournament I will get to learn a lot, because coach has got so much experience, not only in coaching, but he was a great player back in the day, so I'm getting to learn a lot of new stuff every day."
Bengaluru Bulls defender - Saurabh Nandal said, "Vikash is a cool and composed player, he enjoys his game a lot, he always provides support to us and helps understand different situations in the game."
Bengaluru Bulls raider - Bharat Naresh said, "Vikash has always had a good rapport with us, I've played with him before. He always supported and helped us during practises, and he is doing the same for us at Bengaluru Bulls."
Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 starting from October 7 will be telecast LIVE & Exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.