"I call him the Great Wall" - Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Sehrawat on why he picked Mahender Singh as captain for Pro Kabaddi 2022

The Bengaluru Bulls on Friday announced season left cover defender Mahender Singh as their captain for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi 2022 season. Right corner defender Saurabh Nandal was named as his deputy, with the youngster rewarded for his fabulous showing in PKL 8 for the Bulls.

Mahender will be stepping into his 5th season with Bengaluru in PKL 9, having made his Pro Kabaddi debut for the Randhir Sehrawat-coached side back in 2017. The defensive lynchpin has made the left cover position his own over time, with 220 tackle points in 87 matches, including 14 High 5s to his name.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 season, Bengaluru Bulls head coach Sehrawat shed some light on the decision to appoint Mahender as the team captain.

"Mahender is one of the seniormost players in the team and he's been with the Bulls for a long time. In my opinion, he is one among the top 2 best left cover defenders, and I call him the 'Great Wall' of Bengaluru."

Mahender Singh will hope to strike some form in Pro Kabaddi 2022

Mahender made his Bengaluru Bulls debut in PKL 5, and while he has been largely consistent on the defensive front, he endured arguably his worst season in Pro Kabaddi 2021.

In 20 matches, the Bulls' left cover notched up only 39 points, averaging less than 2 tackle points per game - a stat that he would be keen to improve on in Pro Kabaddi 2022.

Bulls coach Sehrawat is confident that the newly-appointed captain will bring his firm understanding of the team to the fore as a major feature of his captaincy.

"He's someone who understands everyone well, I am confident he will lead the team well. For 3 seasons now he has been the team vice-captain, so I thought it is important to make him captain for the season."

The Pro Kabaddi 2022 starts on October 7th at the Sree Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru with a triple header, which will also see the Bengaluru Bulls open their campaign against the star-studded Telugu Titans in Match 2.