Kolkata, Jul 9 (IANS): Ahead of the upcoming season of the Pro Kabaddi League, Bengal Warriors have named Prashant Surve and Praveen Yadav, as head coach and assistant coach, respectively.
Warriors have amicably parted ways with former head coach K Bhaskaran after last edition of the tournament.
Surve has been part of the Bengal Warriors setup since PKL season nine as the assistant coach and with his new promotion to head coach role he will look to build a competitive squad as he takes over from the veteran K Bhaskaran.
Meanwhile, Praveen Yadav, a former kabaddi player himself is a new entrant to PKL and will be supporting Prashant, as both look to work together to develop a strong long-term squad.
The Kolkata based franchise has previously won the PKL title in 2019 and have qualified for the playoffs on four occasions in the last decade. In season 10, the Warriors narrowly missed out on qualifying for the playoffs as they finished seventh, and kept the race for the knockout stages alive up until the final rounds of the league stage.
Season 10 of the PKL was also the first time the Bengal Warriors returned to their home turf after four years, in Kolkata.
"I am delighted that the Capri Sports owned Bengal Warriors franchise have shown immense faith in me by asking me to take over as the Head Coach of the team. we are committed to put our best efforts , whether it is the auctions or on the mat to make the people of Bengal proud. We received a lot of warmth and affection our fans when we went back to the city after 4 years, and we promise to exhibit our best play and deliver positive results this season," said Surve.
"Season 11 of the PKL will hopefully be a fantastic year for the Bengal Warriors, and Capri Sports. We have had some ups and downs on the way, which is normal in any Franchisee sport . However, we are prepared to battle it out in the next Season 11 and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we deliver for our fans. Looking ahead, a new coaching group always adds more zest to the squad, and we hope it will lead to some memorable moments for us in the upcoming Season 11," said Jinisha Sharma, director, Capri Sports.