Ravinder Pahal to continue as captain for Dabang Delhi

Dabang Delhi’s Ravinder Pahal

Before the 2nd season of the PKL started, the management and coaching staff of Dabang Delhi announced that they will be rotating the captain’s armband and wouldn’t be having someone specific leading them on the court on each of the 14 match days.

Franchisee owner Radha Kapoor explained the rationale behind the decision saying, “It gives all the players equal opportunity to showcase leadership quality and we as a team want to explore and build on the strengths of each of our players.”

There seemed major doubts about the actual execution given how important the captains role is in a team sport.

So, while the experienced Jasmer Gulia took the responsibility to walk for the toss in their opener against Telegu Titans, young and docile looking Ravinder Pahal was thrust with the responsibility last night. Donning the new role for the first time, ‘The Wall’ as he is known did remarkably and led his team from the front. While he received Inspiring Defender of the Match and Moment of the Match awards, his demeanor on court was unmistakable.

Talking to us ahead of today’s match against Bengal Warriors, head coach Honnappa C Gowda talked very highly of the diminutive defender from Sonepat, “He has done really well. To win 2 back to back Best Defender Awards is commendable.”

Asked if he would continue as captain though and rather unsurprisingly he nodded in approval, “Why tinker with a winning combination?”

Needless to say, Ravinder would be overjoyed if the team keeps winning under him and as Honnappa mentioned diverting from the ‘rotation policy’ would be a welcome aberration from the pre-season plan!