Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 9 (ANI): The Bengal Warriors have started their preparations for the upcoming season of the Pro Kabaddi League as they look to challenge for the PKL title. The Warriors have announced Prashant Surve and Praveen Yadav, as head coach and assistant coach, respectively for the upcoming season.
The Warriors have also amicably parted ways with former head coach K Bhaskaran after Season 10 of the PKL.
Prashant Surve has been part of the Bengal Warriors setup since PKL S9 as the Assistant Coach and with his new promotion to head coach role he will look to build a competitive squad as he takes over from the veteran K Bhaskaran. Meanwhile Praveen Yadav, a former kabaddi player himself is a new entrant to PKL and will be supporting Prashant, as both look to work together to develop a strong long-term squad.
The Kolkata based franchise has previously won the PKL title in 2019, which was season 7 of the tournament, and have qualified for the Playoffs on four occasions in the last decade. In Season 10, the Warriors narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Playoffs as they finished 7th, and kept the race for the knockout stages alive up until the final rounds of the league stage.
Season 10 of the PKL was also the first time the Bengal Warriors returned to their home turf after 4 years, in Kolkata. The Bengal Warriors are gearing up for Season 11, and a new think tank will want to make significant progress when the PKL Auction comes around.
“I am delighted that the Capri Sports owned Bengal Warriors franchise have shown immense faith in me by asking me to take over as the head coach of the team. we are committed to put our best efforts , whether it is the auctions or on the mat, to make the people of Bengal proud. We received a lot of warmth and affection from our fans when we went back to the city after 4 years, and we promise to exhibit our best play and deliver positive results this season,” said head coach Prashant Surve, as quoted from a press release by the Bengal Warriors.
“The Bengal Warriors family is raring to go for Season 11 of the PKL, and with our new coaches taking charge, we are confident of putting on a good show on the mat. Prashant has been with us since PKL S9 and is an experienced coach and Praveen is also well-versed with the beautiful sport of Kabaddi. We at Capri Sports believe they are the right minds to take us forward,” said Apurv Gupta, Senior Vice President and Head of Contact Sports, Capri Sports.
“Season 11 of the PKL will hopefully be a fantastic year for the Bengal Warriors, and Capri Sports. We have had some ups and downs on the way, which is normal in any franchise sport . However, we are prepared to battle it out in the next Season 11 and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that we deliver for our fans. Looking ahead, a new coaching group always adds more zest to the squad, and we hope it will lead to some memorable moments for us in the upcoming Season 11,” said Jinisha Sharma, Director, Capri Sports. (ANI)
