VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 5 reached its conclusion with Patna Pirates taking home their third consecutive crown. The player schedules were packed with practice sessions, workouts, matches, travel, interviews and a host of other activities which surround such a huge sports league.

Once the long league is finally done and dusted, the player schedules become a little more relaxed. We caught up with a few of them during the campaign and got some exclusive information about how they blow off steam in the off-season.

Pardeep Narwal gets on the farm

Dubki King Pardeep Narwal had a phenomenal season with Patna Pirates before going for national duties to Iran. He had a rather busy time since then, playing for Uttarakhand in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship and now in the Federation Cup. However, back home, things are a little different for the star raider.

“I help my mother when I am back home. Sometimes she asks me to go help in the farm so I do that,” said Narwal, “Since we live in a village I help around whenever I am asked to.”

Monu Goyat stays indoors

Narwal’s second in command in the Patna raiding unit, Monu Goyat, was seen raiding for the Services team in the Senior National Kabaddi Championship. However, he did manage to get a bit of a break after his VIVO Pro Kabaddi stint with the Pirates. And when he isn’t playing or at his job in the army, he prefers lounging on the couch to being outdoors.

“In my free time, I prefer staying at home because I get very little time to stay at home,” Goyat said, “The matches (VIVO Pro Kabaddi) are going on for several months, and then you go back to your job; then come the Nationals. So, I prefer being home and don’t go out much. Once in a while, I do like to go out with my friends and have fun, but that is only on occasion.”

Manjeet Chhillar goes shopping

One-Man-Army Manjeet Chhillar was in-and-out of the Jaipur Pink Panthers squad due to injury but came back into action for his state of Haryana in the Senior Nationals. Fans will be eagerly waiting to see him back in full flow in the next season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi as he must have gotten plenty of time to catch up on his favourite activities - resting, watching movies and shopping.

Fazel Atrachali goes far in the forests

Gujarat Fortunegiants’ defensive stalwart Fazel Atrachali is a force to be reckoned with on the mat owing to his imposing presence. His massive amounts of strength and astute mental abilities can be ascribed to his outdoorsy interests. He prefers to be close to nature and train his survival instincts when he is taking a break.

“In my free time, I always call my friends and we go to forest for 4-5 days to have fun. The phone is off, without network or the internet. Only free mind, far away from people. It’s a very, very normal life in the forest (laughs). Sleeping in the open forest at night, I like all this,” said the Iranian.

David Mosambayi gets sporty

Kenyan all-rounder David Mosambayi is quite the sportsman. He started off playing football before moving on to the full-contact sport of kabaddi. He still enjoys indulging in his first love, though, and also makes time for other sports in his spare time.

“I play a lot of other sports in my free time. I also get to know other players and learn about their way of playing the sport,” said Mosambayi.

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