"Give me more raids"- Pro Kabaddi 2025 and the dawn of a youthful era [Exclusive]

Pro Kabaddi 2025 is officially in the history books. Dabang Delhi KC became the third PKL franchise to win multiple championships as they displayed aggression on the mat and defeated Puneri Paltan in the final to win their second trophy.Puneri Paltan wanted to take revenge against Dabang Delhi KC for the defeat in Qualifier 1, but the Pune-based franchise failed to do so. Nevertheless, the final match was a thriller, which went down to the final few minutes, and just like the rest of the Pro Kabaddi 2025, it was full of aggression.PKL 2025 was also the season of revenge. Devank Dalal and Narender Redhu took revenge against Haryana Steelers coach Manpreet Singh. Although Devank and Narender moved to different franchises, they did not forget how Manpreet's Haryana Steelers had defeated Patna Pirates in the PKL 2024 Final.While Devank mocked Manpreet with the same celebration that Jaideep Dahiya did after securing the win, Narender was over the moon after his new team Jaipur beat the Haryana Steelers in Pro Kabaddi 2025.Besides, the youngsters wowed the fans with their aggression on the mat. After Pro Kabaddi 2025 ended, Sportskeeda caught up with Jaipur Pink Panthers raider Nitin Dhankar, Puneri Paltan star Aditya Shinde, Patna Pirates defender Navdeep and Jaipur coach Narender Redhu for a brief chat. Here are the excerpts:Nitin Dhankar, Jaipur Pink Panthers raiderNitin Dhankar played a huge role in Jaipur Pink Panthers' success in Pro Kabaddi 2025. He earned more than 150 points in just 15 matches, powering the Jaipur-based franchise to the Pro Kabaddi 2025 playoffs. Unfortunately though he missed the knockout game due to injury.Sportskeeda - You missed the last playoff match of Jaipur Pink Panthers. Will it be an extra motivation to win the title at any cost for you when you come in the next season ?Nitin Dhankar - Of course, missing that match was tough for me personally. When you’ve worked hard the entire season, you always want to be on the mat with your team in those big moments. But that also gives me extra hunger for the next season. I want to come back stronger, give my best every match, and help the team lift the trophy again.Sportskeeda - How did it feel to see so many people cheering for you when Jaipur Pink Panthers played in Jaipur?Nitin Dhankar - It was an amazing feeling! Playing in front of a packed home crowd gives a completely different kind of energy. The chants, the pink flags, the support; it really motivates every player to push that extra bit. We play for those moments and for our fans who make the atmosphere so special.Aditya Shinde, Puneri Paltan raiderAditya Shinde has been a reliable raider for Puneri Paltan over the last few seasons. He stepped up and delivered the goods for Pune with his aggressive raiding, especially in the playoffs. Aditya's brilliant raids helped Pune qualify for the final.Sportskeeda - Tell us about the special changes you made for your excellent performance in playoffs.Aditya Shinde - I changed my technique a bit and also usually the skills I use I tried to use some different skills while discussing in the team meeting I told them to give me more raids so it helped me and my team in playoffs.Sportskeeda - ⁠What was the biggest learning for you from PKL 12?Aditya Shinde - I learned lot of new things and challenges like how to handle pressure situations in a tough match.Navdeep, Patna Pirates defenderNavdeep surprised the Pro Kabaddi 2025 fans by ending the competition as the Best Defender. The Patna Pirates youngster topped the defenders' leaderboard by earning 73 tackle points in the season. His performance improved significantly in the second half of the tournament, helping Patna qualify for the next round.Sportskeeda - You took your game to a whole new level and performed so well in the playoffs. What change did you make to your game?Navdeep - Momentum and confidence are two very big factors in sports and we had both of them on our side when we went on a 8-match winning run. We were playing in a very good rhythm as a unit and everything fell in place.Sportskeeda - ⁠How did it feel to form a corner combination with someone so talented like Ankit Jaglan?Navdeep - It was very good and I loved playing with him as our partnership and understanding on the mat was very natural. He is someone who leads by example as the Captain of the team. Once we got settled, we just knew about each other’s position and movement on the mat without even looking at each other.Narender Redhu, Jaipur Pink Panthers head coach in Pro Kabaddi 2025Narender Redhu guided the Patna Pirates to the Pro Kabaddi League final last season. This season, he joined the Jaipur Pink Panthers for Pro Kabaddi 2025 and took them to the second round. Here's what the Jaipur head coach had to say about the change in franchise.Sportskeeda - How much does it have an impact on a coach when they move from one team to another after just helping their previous team qualify for final?Narender Redhu - Every team brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to grow. As a coach, my focus is always on the players, understanding their strengths, building the right combinations, and creating a winning mindset. What happened with the previous team stays as a good experience, but now my full focus is on helping Jaipur Pink Panthers perform to their best potential this season.Pro Kabaddi 2025 will go down as one of the best seasons in the tournament's history. The reverse countdown to the PKL 2026 Auction will begin soon as all the teams begin their thought process about which players to retain from their Pro Kabaddi 2025 squads.