Prime Volleyball League: Captains bank on strategy as league nears business end

The Prime Volleyball League is at its business end. The league has dished out some scintillating performances so far, keeping volleyball fans on the edge of their seats.

The Calicut Heroes and Kolkata Thunderbolts will meet for a place in the final in the second semi-final. The skippers of both teams, Ashwal Rai (Kolkata Thunderbolts) and Jerome Vinith (Calicut Heroes), exuded confidence ahead of the marquee clash.

Both Rai and Vinith are among India's highest paid volleyball stars and with their exciting persona, they are natural leaders.

Rai said the team is well prepared for the Calicut challenge. They know how dangerous Heroes talisman David Lee can be and have strategized accordingly.

"We played against Calicut once. We are meeting them again in the semi-finals. They are a strong team and the presence of David Lee in their ranks is huge. We have our plans and strategies in place on how to defend and who to attack. We hope to play accordingly."

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Read: Prime Volleyball League a learning curve for Guru Prasanth

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Vinith sounded confident of acing the must-win match and entering the summit clash. He termed it 'just another match', saying:

"We are here to enjoy and play our game. We are not thinking about what we are going to do. Yes, we are in the semi-finals, but it is just another match."

Rai is banking on his players' experience and form in the ongoing volleyball league to help them emerge victorious in the semi-finals. He said:

"The first match we played in the league was a tough one. We played a five-set decider. Post that, we won three matches and lost two. We did well in our last match. The coordination among our players is good. They are in form."

The Thunderbolts skipper added:

"We have also trained according to our game style and opponents too. We have been able to execute our plans well and I am sure we will reach the final."

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Professional volleyball league good for budding players

Both Jerome and Ashwal heaped praise on the youngsters making waves in the league. The duo admitted that the professional league is a good opportunity for youngsters to make a mark.

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Franchisees have identified players from hinter-lands and they haven't disappointed, dishing out good performances. Rai explained:

"This (Prime Volleyball League) is a good platform for young players. This acts as a gateway for an Indian camp and I am sure the league will elevate the sport higher in India."

He also named a couple of players who have excelled this season, stating:

"Some players who have been impressive are Rahul in our team, who is just 23 years old along with Guru of Hyderabad, who is an all-rounder and a blocker Dushyant. They will be future Indian players if they train the same way and do well in practice."

Vinith hailed the professionalism in the league and said young players are starting to train in the right way with complete analysis, and it would help them a lot in the future. He said:

"Professionalism can change any sport and this league has changed volleyball. Many players didn't know how to train, how to rest, how to recover. We learned many things on our diet, how to control the body etc. It very nice to get that opportunity. We learned many things from this league."

Vinith concluded:

"David Lee is an Olympian, he's 40 and he's still playing. No one at that age is playing in India. It's a big opportunity for all Indian players."

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When and where to watch PVL?

The Prime Volleyball League will be shown live on the Sony Sports network. SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) and SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam) channels will have a live telecast of all the matches.

The league runs from February 5 to February 27.

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