Sushil Kumar had left everyone stumped when he opted out of the PWL without giving any reason. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui
tribuneindia.com: Sabi Hussain, Tribune News Service: New Delhi, December 28A day after the Pro Wrestling League concluded, two-time Olympics medallist Sushil Kumar broke his silence over his last-minute pull-out from the inaugural edition of the league. Sushil, who was roped in by Uttar Pradesh Warriors as their ‘icon player’ for Rs 49.20 lakh, is miffed with the way PWL’s commercial right-holders, Pro Sportify, and his franchise went about speculating about his withdrawal. He’s particularly annoyed with the league’s governing council member, Rashmi Suleja, who had said that his “priorities” had changed and he was “busy” with other professional commitments. The London Olympics silver medallist was unhappy with UP Warriors, which have Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as one of its co-owners, for not protecting his “image” and “stature” despite knowing that he had been nursing injuries to his shoulder and hand. “Have the franchise owners or the PWL organisers ever fought or witnessed a wrestling match? Are they so smart that they knew everything about me, my hobbies in a week’s time?” asked Sushil. “All of them are new to wrestling. Whoever talked about me... they just don’t know me. I’ve been blessed with everything after 2008 (Beijing Olympics),” Sushil told The Tribune. Sushil had left everyone stumped when he opted out of the PWL without giving any reason. And that led to unrestrained speculations. Some said he wasn’t comfortable going under the hammer as an “item”, others claimed he was upset after Ukraine’s female wrestler Oksana Herhel fetched a higher bid in the auction, yet another rumour doing the round was that he didn’t want to face Narsingh Yadav. And then came the news that he had not recovered from his injuries, and, keeping in mind the Rio Olympics, he didn’t want to risk further aggravation. “After talking to guru ji (coach Satpal) and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan, I had gone for a 21-day training programme to Georgia to get match-fit for the PWL. On returning, I realised I was still not 100 per cent fit. I still needed time to recover. The WFI president told me that I should attain full fitness before competing in the PWL,” the 32-year-old informed. Sushil also expressed his displeasure over an insulting tweet by Bengaluru team owner Parth Jindal, wherein he said that “Sushil is scared of fighting Narsingh Yadav”. “I can’t stop people from commenting about me. The franchise owners have their own point of view... I have fought against Narsingh many times, I even defeated him two years back. I could have gone to the World Championships, but opted out because I did not want to block his place,” he said. “Look, we both have respect for each other. The other day when we met, he touched my feet. I appreciate him for winning a quota place for the country. But if I have to compete against him for deciding the Rio representation, I will give my 100 percent. I am least bothered about what people have to say,” he added. Mixed response: The first edition of the PWL drew a mixed response. While everyone liked the ancient sport in its new avatar, the organisation glitches throughout the 18-day tournament raised some serious doubts and questions. The level of the competition, the interesting format and the sizeable crowd at most of the venues made for an interesting spectacle. The participation of the Olympics and the World Championships medallists ensured the competition stayed top-notch throughout. Sourc: http://www.tribuneindia.com/
