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Seasoned all-rounder Deepak Niwas Hooda will be one of the most highly sought after players in the Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022, which is set to get underway in Mumbai on August 5th, 2022.
The second-highest overall points-scorer in the PKL, Hooda is keen to pocket a hefty contract from the PKL 9 Auction, while hoping that teams don't undervalue him in the auction, as was the case before Pro Kabaddi 8.
For a man who has single-handedly won matches in the PKL, Hooda's services were signed for just ₹55 lakh by the Jaipur Pink Panthers (Using FBM card) in the Pro Kabaddi 8 Auction, and the star all-rounder still has not-so-fond memories of going for a rather cheap price.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Hooda shed light on his emotions after being picked for an underwhelming price in last year's Pro Kabaddi Auction.
"I felt bad, no doubt. I was in good form, I had also done well in the senior nationals, but sometimes you can't predict what happens in the PKL auction. Even then, I am the third most successful raider, I have been playing since the first Pro Kabaddi season. My performance was not down, neither did I have fitness issues so I don't know what went wrong."
Also read - Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022: Start time, Date, Venue & Host
He further added that now, ahead of Pro Kabaddi 9, he is a lot more motivated to express himself on the mat from when he was at his peak.
"That's over though, now I will look to do much better in the coming season. This year will be different, wait and watch. See my performance in this PKL 9 season, it will like how it was in my peak. You will see me excelling in raiding and defending."
Deepak Hooda could be among the highest paid players in Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022
Hooda, who is currently India's kabaddi captain and also served as the Jaipur Pink Panthers captain in PKL 8, is one of the league's most experienced players. With 140 matches under his belt, Hooda has 973 raid points and 90 tackle points to his name, a decorated CV that a lot of teams will want to boast of among their squad members.
One among the few Pro Kabaddi stars to have breached the ₹1 Crore mark in the PKL Auction's past, Hooda is confident of picking up a solid contract. However, the emergence of young players from the Senior Nationals - where Hooda led Rajasthan - could be a factor in some contracts going for lesser than expected.
Yet, the star all-rounder is only seeing the positive side to a whole bunch of young players emerging on the PKL circuit, one that could only give the sport of kabaddi a brighter future.
"New players and youngsters coming in means that we will need to work harder, the competition overall will improve and kabaddi is benefitted. We as senior players will also be pushed to improve our skill. I personally have worked a lot on my skill sets and you will see it in PKL 9, there's only a few months left for the league to start."
Pro Kabaddi Auction 2022 is set to feature some big names this time such as Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal, Fazel Atrachali, Deepak Hooda among others. With the player pool available, expect some major records to be broken ahead of PKL 9!
