Hyderabad, Dec 4 (IANS): The Bengal Warriors haven't had the best of times in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 9, but Shubham Shinde has emerged as one of the brightest stars for them.

The defender has notched up nine tackle points in three matches in the past week, including a High 5 against Haryana Steelers.

When asked about how he started playing kabaddi, Shinde said, "My elder brother, who plays kabaddi for Bharat Petroleum, asked me to take up the sport. So, I followed in his footsteps and started playing the game."

The defender added that his biggest dream is to play for India one day. "My father works as a clerk in a bank and my mother is a homemaker. My father, who worked in the Indian Army earlier, also played kabaddi in the Inter-Services tournament. He stopped playing after incurring a shoulder injury. He has only one dream and that's watching me play for India. I hope I can fulfil his dream."

He further expressed, "My father has always supported my aspirations in kabaddi. He calls me after every vivo PKL match I play and then he talks to me about the mistakes I made in the game."

Shinde also said that he works as a Ticket Collector (TC) when he's not playing any kabaddi tournament. "I am currently working with Central Railways. When I am not playing or practicing kabaddi, I carry out the role of a Ticket Collector. I got this job through sports quota. I also practice twice a day with the Central Railways team when I am not playing any other tournament."

When asked about what he does during his free time, Shinde said, "I watch movies during my free time. My favourite actor is Tiger Shroff, my favourite actress is Shraddha Kapoor and my favourite film is Baaghi."

The Patna Pirates are desperately looking for a victory to keep their hopes of reaching the Playoffs alive, however, they will be up against a raging Puneri Paltan, who have been in stupendous form this season.

The Haryana Steelers will have their work cut out when they take on the Jaipur Pink Panthers on Monday. The Panthers have decimated their last four opponents and have put themselves in a great position to qualify for the Semi-Finals directly.