Mumbai Che Raje, with the right blend of youth and experience, is confident of striking the right chords as they gear up for the Inaugural Indo International Premiere Kabaddi League which will be held from 13th May to 4th June across three cities Pune, Mysore & Bengaluru. The Klay Events and Promotions Pvt Ltd is the organizational brain behind Mumbai Che Raje, who announced the team and unveiled the team jersey at a press conference in the city on Friday.
From Left to Right ( Nikhil Pendalwar, Co-Owner, Rashid Shaikh, Vice Captain, Sneha Karnale, Head coach, Jessy Suvarna, Co-Owner and Shashank Wankhede flagged of the official vehicle at the press conference of Mumbai Che Raje held at Garware on Friday.
The team is in the hands of experienced coaches like Prakash Salunkhe and Sneha Karnale, who are the head coaches with Harish Tawde assisting them. These coaches have given training to state-level teams and Maharashtra Police Men’s and Women’s Kabaddi Teams. Also, Mr. Salunke worked as Asst. Coach for Puneri Paltan in season 2 and Jaipur Pink Panthers in season 5. They have trained a lot of top players and out of that Mr. B.C. Ramesh and C. Honappa have gone on to receive the Arjuna Award.
Shashank Wankhede, arguably one of the best raider & defender will lead the team. He has the big match experience, having played for teams like Bengal Warriors and Telugu Titans in the Pro Kabaddi League. The team also has players like Rashid Shaikh who is the vice-captain and Devendra Kadam both who represent Maharashtra Police and were a key part of the gold medal-winning team in the All India Police Kabaddi Championships.
Speaking at the occasion Captain Shashank Wankhede said, “The league is a great platform for the players to prove themselves and we have a great team and support staff and are confident of doing well in the tournament.”
Elaborating on the team’s preparations for the 1st season, Mr.Sanjay Selukar, co-owner, Mumbai Che Raje said, “The team has been training at the Mira- Bhayander Sports Club for the last 25 days. We have got a very strong side and we have strived to provide the best facilities to players to enable them to focus on performance. We are confident of reaching the finals.”
When asked how different would be the strategies under the coaches, Dr.P.V.Shetty,co-owner, said we are delighted to have Coaches like Prakash, Sneha and Harish on board and we are confident that with them at the forefront the team will deliver their best in the tournament”.
The coaches prefer to let their team’s performances do the talking and when asked about the team’s prospects they jointly said “We have a very balanced side with experienced players and newcomers who have shown a lot of promise in training. All the players are fit and raring to go out and prove themselves”.
When asked about the shift from Pro Kabaddi to this league they further added, “We have been fortunate to play under the management of Mumbai Che Raje. We have been provided with all the top-notch facilities like Physios, Doctors, Dieticians, Masseurs and Gym facilities and they have ensured every small need of ours was fulfilled promptly. If all the teams get the same treatment that we have been getting it won’t be long before we compete with Pro Kabaddi”.
Mumbai Che Raje
Head Coaches: Prakash Salunke and Sneha Karnale Asst. Coach: Harish Tawade
Team
Shashank Wankhede (MAH), Vijay Rajput (MP), Manish Sharma (HR), Surender Dahiya (HR), R Nagaraju (AP), Mohit Narwal (HR), Diljeet Singh Chauhan ( MAH), Ravi Deswal (HR), Mahesh Timmapur (KAR), Suhas Vaagare (MAH), Rashid Shaikh (MAH), Maniveera Kantha (AP), Yogesh Navale (MAH), Karambir (PUN), Kiran M (KAR), Saurav Kumar (BIHAR), Devendra Kadam (MAH), A Arul (Puducherry),Rohit Kumar (HAR)