"I build stars, not buy them at auctions" - Bengaluru Bulls head coach Randhir Sehrawat ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021

Ever since the inception of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) back in 2014, no team other than the Bengaluru Bulls have been led by one coach. While coaches have come and gone, the Bulls have carried on for seven seasons in the PKL under one man, Randhir Singh Sehrawat.

An instrumental figure in producing kabaddi talent from across nooks and corners of the country, Randhir Sehrawat's claim to fame is facilitating some of PKL's best stars' climb up the ladder of success.

From the likes of Ajay Thakur, Manjeet Chhillar to today's raiding phenomenons, Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal, coach Randhir's influence on the meteoric rise of kabaddi in the country is quite a fascinating story in itself.

A former kabaddi star himself, Randhir's tutelage has fuelled the Bengaluru Bulls to two semifinals and a couple of finals as well, with the team even going as far as winning their maiden title in PKL 6.

With Pro Kabaddi 2021 (PKL 8) set to be his eighth assignment as coach of the Bulls, Sportskeeda caught up with Randhir Sehrawat in an exclusive chat, where the veteran coach sheds light on the new acquisitions, Pawan's role as captain and the highly debated topic of Rohit Kumar's release from the team.

Q. Pawan Sehrawat has emerged as a revelation in the PKL. What are your expectations from the Bengaluru Bulls captain for Pro Kabaddi 2021?

To be very honest, Pawan was under a lot of pressure last season because he had to score bulk of the points. This time, I have thought of a different role for him which you will see on the mat. In PKL 7, Rohit was made captain but he didn't perform much, so all the pressure to score was on Pawan.

I didn't retain Rohit ahead of the Pro Kabaddi auction and in his place, I have picked 5-6 good quality raiders who have proven themselves in PKL.

I must also add that when India came 3rd a few years back, I didn't get any sleep. Pawan is now one of the country's best raiders, so not only am I preparing him to do well in Pro Kabaddi 2021, my focus is to prepare him to play well for India also.

Q. Speaking of Rohit Kumar, why didn't you retain him considering he was the captain of the Bengaluru Bulls in PKL 7?

See, everyone needs to understand one thing. This is not the nationals, the Indian team or anything else, this is Pro Kabaddi. This league thrives on business. Last season, he scored only 88 points for the ₹1+ Crore that I spent on him, that's a little more than 1 lakh per point.

On top of that, after PKL 7 ended, he didn't play the Nationals and didn't represent the Services, so to gamble on his performance was a massive risk to take at the retention price of more than ₹1-1.2 Crore. Instead, I picked 5-6 quality raiders for the price at which I would have had to retain Rohit.

Very simply put, personal relationships do not come into the picture in the Pro Kabaddi League. My philosophy is simple, I don't win matches by depending on star players. Let me tell you, in the money that I saved by not retaining Rohit, I got players like Deepak Narwal, GB More, Abolfazl Maghsoudlou and a few other really talented players.

Q. Could you elaborate a little on the 'don't depend on stars' policy you adapt in your coaching style?

Back in PKL 3 and PKL 4, Puneri Paltan boasted of a star-studded side, with almost the whole Indian team in one franchise. Ravinder Pahal, Manjeet Chhillar, Ajay Thakur, Nitin Tomar, Surjeet Narwal, almost all 7 players on the mat were stars in their own right, but that team didn't even make the semifinal.

Then take the case of Tamil Thalaivas in PKL 6 and Pro Kabaddi 2019. They had names like Rahul Chaudhari, Ajay, Manjeet, but why didn't they win? See the Bengaluru Bulls team, with youngsters we have reached two semifinals and two finals. If I don't give a platform for youngsters, what's the point of me being a coach? Anyone can buy star players, that doesn't even matter in this day and age.

I do my own hunting and pick players to form my team. Even those who are stars now in the PKL, they have grown under my training. Dharmaraj Cheralathan and Rakesh Kumar were introduced at 17, now Pro Kabaddi has big stars like Pardeep Narwal and Ajay Thakur who I have trained. Coming back to the point, if I can get 4-6 talented players who are waiting for a chance in place of one star who isn't guaranteed to perform, why won't I consider that? I build stars, not buy them at auctions.

Q. Was there never a strategy from your end or the Bengaluru Bulls to pick up a single player for more than ₹1 Crore at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 Auction?

During this Corona pandemic and the two year break, I put all my focus and efforts to work on the New Young Players (NYP). I go to towns and villages, I pick players from there and form a team. One needs to understand that if you don't give young and talented players the platform to shine, their life could be spoilt.

Some coaches from Maharashtra, they don't pick from villages, they instead go for players from Mumbai. My ideology is different, I take players from corners of the country and give them a chance to express themselves.

As for the strategy, I was fixed on picking more talented players than depending on one. Apart from Pawan, who is obviously our No.1 raider, I am glad I got to spend money from our purse on 4-5 other raiders. Deepak Narwal, More GB, the two foreign players, all of them I got into the team under ₹1 Crore. Apart from that, Chandran Ranjith is also there in the team, who has done exceedingly well in the past. Like I said, I don't think about my personal relationships and building friendships, it's about handing out opportunities.

Q. Moving to the defensive side of things, you didn't seem to invest much on the defenders at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Thoughts on that?

Let me tell you a small anecdote. When I signed right corner Saurabh Nandal last season for just ₹8 lakh, people were laughing at me for not going for big names such as Ravinder Pahal and others. But then, seeing the stats, they speak for the decision.

Saurabh scored 57 points for just ₹8 lakh, Pahal was paid almost 8 times extra and scored only 5 tackle points more. Parvesh Bhainswal was paid ₹75 lakh, and he scored 64 points. Even our right corner, Amit Sheoran, performed fabulously well and scored 53 points, his contract was only for ₹8 lakh. So when they've performed that well, it would have been wrong of me not to retain faith in them.

In PKL 7, the right cover position was a bit of a problem, this time we've got some youngsters who are coming in and I'm sure they will get the job done.

Q. Finally, can you give us a bit of an insight into the role of the team physio and the staff which shapes the way Bengaluru Bulls perform in Pro Kabaddi 2021?

I must tell you, Arvind (Dr Arvind Yadav, head physiotherapist of Bengaluru Bulls) is one of the most knowledgeable minds in the sport, he knows kabaddi very well. Kabaddi is an injury-prone game, so much that even careers can come to an end because of injuries. To prevent such instances from happening, the physio needs to know the in-depth nature of players' skills and that's where he comes into the picture.

Because he does such a good job, the team is always benefitted. Arvind communicates with the players about their weaknesses and helps convert them into strengths. He is no doubt a massive contributor to the team's success.