"I would love to have him back" - Naveen Kumar names the 1 player he wants Dabang Delhi KC to sign at Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction
Dabang Delhi KC retained their captain Naveen Kumar ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2023 auction. However, they let go of his supporting raiders Vijay Malik and Ashu Malik before the auction this year.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Naveen Kumar shared his views on the upcoming auction and said that he would like to have Vijay Malik back in the team. When asked about the one player he would like for Dabang Delhi KC to sign at the auction, Naveen replied:
"Vijay has been there with me since the beginning. So I would love to have him back. We have right raiders. We need a left raider. Let's see what happens at the auction."
While Dabang Delhi KC retained their captain, they made a few changes to their coaching staff. The former Pro Kabaddi League winners have roped in Ajay Thakur as an assistant coach while Rambir Singh Khokar is the side's head coach.
Ajay and Naveen played together for Dabang Delhi KC in 2021. Naveen disclosed that he has interacted regularly with Ajay after he joined the team as a coach.
"Yes, I congratulated him when the news came out. I also told him how he has converted from a player from a coach now, and we discussed how he taught me a lot during the camp back then. I have received another chance to work with him. He told me, 'Yes, I will make you fitter.' So yes, we keep chatting with each other," Naveen said.
"It would not be right to compare them" - Naveen Kumar on Pawan and Joginder Narwal
Pawan Sehrawat will captain India in men's kabaddi at the Asian Games 2023. Naveen played under Pawan's captaincy during the Asian Kabaddi Championships earlier this year. He has also played under Joginder Narwal for Dabang Delhi KC.
When asked to pick the better captain, Naveen responded:
"Pawan Sehrawat is a good captain. He has captained Bengaluru Bulls in PKL as well. Joginder Narwal is a more senior captain. He has captained and played more matches. Both are good captains. It would not be right to compare them."
Dabang Delhi KC suffered a 24-56 defeat at the hands of the Bengaluru Bulls in last season's PKL Eliminator match. Reflecting on that loss, Naveen commented:
"It happens sometimes in sport. It is not your day always. Sometimes, the pressure gets the better of you. We learned a lot from that game. Matches like that will come and go, what is important to learn from it."
Naveen Kumar is about to touch the 1,000 raid points milestone soon in PKL. When we asked him about his feelings on reaching the milestone soon, Naveen Kumar was not even aware about it.
"Really? Points do not matter to me that much. For me, the goal is to win the trophy. We want to lift the PKL trophy again," the Dabang Delhi KC star concluded.
Naveen Kumar will return to the kabaddi mat tomorrow when India faces Bangladesh in their first group-stage match at the Asian Games 2023.