"All my senior players have now become coaches" - Dabang Delhi coach Krishan Hooda on strategy ahead of Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022 (Exclusive)

Dabang Delhi KC head coach Krishan Hooda has shared his auction strategy ahead of the highly anticipated Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction, scheduled to be held on August 5-6.

In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Hooda explained how most of his defenders from the previous season have retired and taken up coaching roles this year, which is why he will target some young players at the upcoming auction.

"All my senior players have now become coaches. Jeeva is a coach, Manjeet is a coach. Everyone is a coach. In my view, going for youngsters is a good option," said Hooda.

Manjeet Chhillar, who played an integral role in Dabang Delhi's maiden championship win last season, has joined the Telugu Titans as an assistant coach ahead of PKL 9. Krishan Hooda feels that all teams will bid more for the youngsters as compared to the seasoned pros this time.

"Comparatively, in my opinion, the youngsters will probably fetch bigger deals than the experienced players," said Hooda.

Our strategy is to have some experienced players as well: Dabang Delhi KC coach Krishan Hooda

Krishan Hooda further added that even though the youngsters will likely take more money home, the experienced players should still earn contracts from the franchise. He hinted that even Dabang Delhi KC will bid for a couple of senior players at the auction over the next two days.

"I am always trying to give the youngsters some exposure, but our strategy is to have some experienced players as well. Our focus will be more on the youngsters," Hooda concluded.

It will be interesting to see which players are signed by Dabang Delhi KC at the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction. The Delhi-based franchise have retained Naveen Kumar, Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Krishan Dhull, Deepak, and Ashu Malik. They also signed Ashish, Suraj Panwar, Vijay Kumar and Manjeet in the New Young Players category.