Bangalore witnesses a special Pro Kabaddi League and Hockey crossover

As part of their pre-season preparations for Pro Kabaddi League Season 12, Gujarat Giants had a special interaction with the Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.

Gujarat Giants players, Himanshu Jaglan, Rakesh, Parteek Dahiya, Nitin Panwar and V Ajith Kumar along with the Head Coach Jaivir Sharma, Assistant Coach Varinder Singh Sandhu and Fitness Trainer Abhishek Parihar, drew inspiration from the Indian Team Hockey team and even tried their hand at hockey, while the hockey players experienced kabaddi drills in return.

In what was a cross-learning experience, players and coaches discussed the shared physical and tactical demands of hockey and kabaddi, including strength, speed, agility, and tactical awareness. The teams also exchanged insights on strength and conditioning, injury prevention, and ways in which training methods from one sport can benefit performance in the other.

Much to everyone’s delight, Indian Men’s Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Chief Coach Craig Fulton even tried their hand at raiding. The fun-inducing and engaging exchange was full of banter, camaraderie and brought smiles across both teams, as the hockey team enjoyed the challenge of a new sport following an intense training session on the turf.

Both teams are currently preparing for their upcoming challenges, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team for their Australia tour and the Asia Cup, and the Gujarat Giants for the new PKL season. The session concluded with an exchange of jerseys as a gesture of mutual respect.

Gujarat Giants are currently having their pre-season camp at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, Bengaluru, will begin their PKL campaign against U Mumba on August 30 in Vizag. The Indian men's hockey team, on the other hand, will head out for a four-match Tour of Australia from 15th August to 21st August in Perth.