"He is different compared to everyone"- Gujarat Giants coach Ram Mehar Singh explains why he spent ₹1.97 crore for Guman Singh and ignored Shadloui
Gujarat Giants head coach Ram Mehar Singh has disclosed the reason behind the team's decision to spend big on Guman Singh and not chase Mohammadreza Shadloui. Before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction, the Giants had the highest purse value remaining standing at ₹4.08 crore.
Fans expected Gujarat Giants to go hard for Mohammadreza Shadloui, who was the league's best defender in season 10 and played a huge role in Puneri Paltan's role. However, the Giants did not bid for him after Haryana Steelers submitted a ₹2.07 crore bid for him.
Later in the auction, the Ahmedabad-based franchise ended up spending ₹1.97 crore for Guman Singh. While Guman is one of the top raiders in PKL, he has been an injury-prone player.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda after the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction, coach Ram Mehar Singh explained the reason behind Guman's signing and said:
"I felt like that (Guman Singh is a little overpriced) on that day. Why? If I signed Mohammadreza Shadloui, I could not have spent even ₹1 crore for Guman Singh. I bought him for ₹1.97 crore. If you see, there are so many raiders in the league, and Guman is one of the best raiders."
Although Ram Mehar felt Guman was a little overpriced when he acquired his services, he is satisfied with his decision as it saw Sachin Tanwar go for ₹2.15 crore and Bharat Hooda being sold for ₹1.3 crore:
"Even Sachin went for more than ₹2 crore. If we could not have signed Guman, we would have gone for Bharat. If not Bharat, then Sachin. So there are 3-4 raiders of that class. He (Guman Singh) is different compared to everyone. Guman will have the number 1 combination with Parteek Dahiya and Rakesh HS."
"We will work hard to win PKL 11 trophy"- Gujarat Giants head coach Ram Mehar Singh
Next, Ram Mehar Singh spoke about the overall team balance of the Gujarat Giants team. He opined that the team has all the bases covered. Still, if he sees any small weaknesses, he aims to work on them before the season starts.
"It is a very balanced team. The defense and offense both look very strong. I will try to help the players with whatever weakness they have by coaching them well before the season," Ram Mehar Singh said.
Lastly, Gujarat's head coach Ram Mehar Singh signed off by saying the team owners and management have only one goal now and that is to win the Pro Kabaddi League trophy.
"Gujarat Giants is a very big team. It is a very big name in franchise world. It is owned by Adani group, who have given their full heart to kabaddi. Gujarat Giants has one goal. Adani Sportsline has one goal. Our owner has one goal. That is we want to win the trophy. We will work hard to win PKL 11 trophy," Ram Mehar Singh concluded.
Gujarat Giants have qualified for the PKL final twice. However, they have never won the championship. It will be interesting to see if the team can finally win the trophy in season 11.