"We have the best defense in the entire competition" - Shivam Patare on his team's success and his journey in the Pro Kabaddi League
Haryana Steelers left-raider Shivam Patare recently opened up about his team's success in the ongoing edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024. He also weighed in on his journey so far in the league.
The Steelers have been in remarkable form in this year's competition. Manpreet Singh's men sit comfortably at the top of the points table with eight victories so far and their performance on the mat has entertained all and sundry. One of the architects of their dream run this season has been the prolific 21-year-old raider, Shivam, who has lit up the tournament with his performances.
Hailing from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, Shivam has been the backbone of the Haryana Steelers raiding department that also features Vishal Tate and Vinay, among others. His presence on the mat has often proved too hot to handle for the opposition defenders, as he has often run away with important raid points at crucial junctures of the game.
During an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Shivam Patare spoke about his team's dream run in the season so far.
"The main difference between other teams and us lies in our defense. We have the best defense in the entire competition and that allows us to play with a lot more freedom. The raiders have also done well so far and it has worked to our advantage at this point," he said.
The Haryana Steelers players have also bonded well off the mat and that has been a major reason which has fuelled their success so far in the tournament. Shivam Patare explained the principle focus of his team and the approach behind it. He added:
"Our goal this season is to lift the trophy. We have been doing extremely well in the tournament so far and are at the top of the table. The players aren't chasing their individual goals and we have been playing cohesively as one unit."
"People have started to recognize us" - Shivam Patare reveals how his life has changed post his performances in PKL
The Pro Kabaddi League has played a major role in boosting the sport's popularity in the country. Besides giving it an infrastructural push at the grassroots, the tournament has elevated several players from nondescript regions to stardom, which has in turn helped commercialize the sport across the country.
Haryana Steelers star Shivam Patare explained this phenomenon and how his life has changed post his involvement with the Steelers in the Pro Kabaddi League. He said in the same interview:
"Those who didn't have any idea about us have started to know us now. Whenever we go outside, people can identify us as pro Kabbadi players. We have got a quite a bit of fame now. People have started to recognize us and we get the requests for autographs and selfies a lot more frequenty."
The young star from Ahmednagar added that the team environment has been excellent this season. Elaborating on the role of coach Manpreet Singh, Shivam Patare said:
"Manpreet Sir's role has been really important. He was there for us last year too. He motivates us a lot and has the ability to understand the issues faced by players at an individual level. He helps us to solve them and overall the support from both the coach and the management has been top notch."