Bengaluru, July 4 Growing up in the small town of Nashik, Akash Shinde had big dreams but no clear path to follow. No one from his district had ever made it to national-level kabaddi before him.
But now, the Pro Kabaddi League season 10 champion, who was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 53.10 lakh during the PKL 12 Player Auction, is ready to lead a young team towards glory.
"No one in my family played kabaddi. It was more popular in my village, but no one from my district, Nashik, had played at the national level before. That made it a real challenge. Still, I trusted my process and kept working hard," says Shinde, remembering those early days when success seemed far away.
The journey wasn't easy. Every step forward meant figuring things out on his own. "Step by step, I kept finding out what improvements should be made in the game and how to develop. I kept working on that and kept moving forward," he explains.
Now, looking at his new teammates at Bengaluru Bulls, Shinde sees the same hunger he once had, comparing it to another Bengaluru-based sports team that ended a long trophy drought -- the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
"I am feeling very good. It's a new and young team. The way RCB won with a young team, we will win the PKL too. There is a lot of excitement. The young boys have a clear mindset that they just have to prove themselves," he added.
The need to prove yourself - Shinde knows it well. He felt it during his heartbreaking loss with Puneri Paltan in Season 9, when they lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers by just 2-3 points. But that pain made the victory sweeter in PKL 10, while also captaining his team in the absence of the injured skipper Aslam Inamdar.
"When I was in Puneri Paltan, we lost to Jaipur Pink Panthers by 2-3 points in season 9. We put in a lot of hard work in the next season and became the champions," he recalls. "So, obviously, those kinds of things provide you with experience and help you maintain composure during crunch situations."
That championship win changed everything. It proved that all the hard work was worth it. Now, as he watches his young Bulls teammates, Shinde sees that same determination in their eyes. And behind every successful player is a coach who believes in them. For Shinde, that's BC Ramesh, with whom he won the PKL back in the landmark 10th season.
"He is strict on the ground only. He treats all of us like his kids, like family members," Shinde says warmly. Having someone who cares about you like family makes all the difference in a tough sport.
Shinde's success story means something bigger than personal glory. He opened doors for others from his region. "We have some very good players in Maharashtra. The skill level is very high and that's the reason why we get some of the finest players from the state. The competition is very tough," he concluded.
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