"We do not have any ego issues here"- Ashu Malik comments on Naveen Kumar's return, Dabang Delhi KC captaincy, PKL Auction 2024 & more (Exclusive)
Pro Kabaddi League season 10's best raider Ashu Malik will continue representing Dabang Delhi KC in season 11. Malik surprised everyone by scoring 276 raid points last season and shouldering Delhi's raid unit after Naveen Kumar's unfortunate injury.
Naveen has recovered from his injury now, and Delhi have retained both Naveen and Ashu for the 11th edition of PKL. In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda ahead of the PKL 2024 Auction, Ashu shared his reaction to the news of his and Naveen's retention and said:
"The happiest thing for me is that Naveen recovered quickly from his injury and he has been retained as well. We will play together in this season. We have been playing together for quite some time now. The team has shown a lot of faith in us. Even we have helped Dabang Delhi KC win many matches."
Ashu further mentioned that he was looking forward to putting up a show with Naveen in PKL 11.
"Unfortunately, last season, Naveen got injured, but in the upcoming season, we will try to perform better," the Dabang Delhi KC star added.
While Delhi have retained their star raiders, Naveen Kumar and Ashu Malik, the team has let go of some of their defenders ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Commenting on the team's potential auction strategy, Ashu said:
"We have retained our corner defenders from the last season. They performed really well. Coach sir and team management have been planning for the auction right now. They have not finalized anything, but they will go for defenders, all-rounders and raiders and form a strong team."
Last season, Ashu had to step up and lead the team after Naveen got injured. When asked about his experience as a PKL team's skipper, Ashu replied:
"I did not have any captaincy experience prior to that. It was my first experience as a captain. Coach sir gave me the chance. I learned a lot while leading the team. I made many mistakes, but the support from the coach helped me."
This season, regular captain Naveen is back in the squad. When asked if Delhi will adopt a dual captaincy approach like the Haryana Steelers did with Jaideep Dahiya and Mohit Nandal last season, Ashu responded:
"No, we have not thought about it yet. We do not have any ego issues here if he is captain or I am captain. Everyone is treated the same way here."
Further, Ashu spoke about Joginder Narwal becoming Delhi's new head coach. He highlighted how Narwal was an integral part of the Delhi squad that won PKL 8 and opined that Narwal's experience will benefit the team this season.
"We are very happy. When Dabang Delhi KC became champions in season eight, Joginder Narwal was there. He has played with most of the players and knows our strengths and weaknesses. He will play a key role as a coach this year," Ashu Malik said.
"It could be Maninder or Pawan"- Ashu Malik makes his Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction predictions
While Ashu Malik will not be a part of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction, several superstar raiders like Maninder Singh, Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal will go under the hammer. Sharing his predictions for the most expensive raider of the season, Ashu said:
"I think Maninder. Maninder and Pawan both actually. It could be Maninder or Pawan, but we will come to know on August 15."
Lastly, Ashu Malik gave his opinion on whether any player would break Pawan Sehrawat's record of most expensive signing at ₹2.605 crore and concluded:
"I don't think that record will be broken. There are several big names in the auction this year. So, I don't think any player will go for such a high price. If a team bids such a high price for one player, then it may not be able to form a well-balanced squad."
Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction will begin tomorrow evening in Mumbai. It will be exciting to see which players join Ashu Malik at Dabang Delhi KC.