Many moons ago, a young boy nicknamed 'Nanha' – which means tiny – would spend his days watching older kids play kabaddi in a small village in Haryana. Little did he and the others know that this little one would go on to become one of the sport's rising stars. (More Sports News)
Narender Kandola will now enter his third season with the Tamil Thalaivas, having made his debut with the team in season 9. The side will begin their Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2024-25 campaign against the Telugu Titans on October 19.
"Even now, in the village, everyone who used to play with me calls me by my nickname 'Nanha'," Narender recalled. "I wasn't very tall as a kid, which is why the name stuck. Now I have a decent height, but the name still remains," he said in PKL’s ‘Rise of a Star’ interview on YouTube.
Narender's foray into kabaddi began almost akin to a scene in a sports movie. "As a kid, I was drawn to the kabaddi grounds where the older boys played," he said. "What started as fun with the senior players soon became a passion. At first, I was just a spectator who didn’t have many friends, but before I knew it, kabaddi gave me a family."
His tenacity caught the eye of Sandeep Kandola, a local kabaddi coach. "A small kid used to come to watch the senior players practise with a lot of dedication," Kandola said. "Seeing him show such an interest in the sport, I pushed him to play every day."
Under Kandola's guidance, Narender's skills flourished. "My family and my coach have been very important in my development as a kabaddi player," Narender stated. "My coach, who had a government job, was also a kabaddi player. He has kept up the tradition of playing the sport in our village in Haryana. In fact, he still trains the younger kids in our village."
As Narender's talent grew, so did his dreams. But the path to recognition wasn't easy. "Earlier, wherever I used to go, no one recognised a kabaddi player," he said. But everything changed with his introduction to PKL.
"Now, thanks to the Pro Kabaddi League and Mashal Sports, everyone recognises me," said Narender. "The league has helped improve the face value of kabaddi players. It has also benefitted me a lot, be it in terms of money or recognition. And not only mine, the league has changed the life of all kabaddi players."
Narender's big break came in PKL season 9, when he joined Tamil Thalaivas. CEO Shushen Vashishth recalled a pivotal moment: "I remember we were in Chennai; we had just lost a match. Narender was very disappointed with his performance because he didn't know what happened. He said, 'I couldn't move my legs.' "
This setback became a turning point. Vashishth added, "There was a little bit of his body movement which our analyst had identified. He carried this from season 9 to season 10, and he had to work on it. After rectifying it, he practised hard, and from then on, it was like Super 10, Super 10, Super 10 for the rest of the season."
Narender's journey has not been without challenges, however. "Just like a kabaddi match, there are ups and downs," he said matter-of-factly. But his mantra remains simple: "Do your work; don't worry about the result."
Today, Narender stands tall as a symbol of kabaddi's growing popularity and the opportunities it can provide. His story is not just about personal success, but also about the sport's evolution. As he shared the story of his rise to success, Narender concluded by saying, "It was a very proud moment to represent the country," he says, his voice filled with emotion. "The more well we do, the better it is for us."
