Bengaluru, Feb 8: Bengaluru Torpedoes, one of the leading teams in the on-going second season of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League, boasts of having four talented players from Karnataka making waves on the court. These players believe that the tournament is helping to revive the sport of volleyball in their home state.
The quartet of Sudheer Shetty, Vinayak Rokhade, Srajan Shetty, and K Tharun Gowda are demonstrating excellent skills on the court. Vinayak, hailing from Belgaum, a quaint district in North Karnataka, who changed his sport from cricket to volleyball, thanks to his cricket coach, has become a force to reckon. “The RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 is providing more opportunities for young volleyball players in Karnataka and help build interest in the sport. With more than a dozen players from Karnataka participating in different teams in the League, it only talks about the depth of talent in the State,” says the setter who is one of the players to be retained by Bengaluru Torpedoes for the second season.
Sudheer and Srajan who hail from the coastal towns of Mangalore and Udupi respectively form a formidable blocking team. “Playing in the League is a different experience all together. There is a lot of learning while we rub shoulders with some of the best players. Training under David Lee who is an accomplished player and has won every laurel that the game can offer, we have turned our weaknesses into strengths,” says Srajan who is the youngest member of the team at 20.
“We were limited to playing the Nationals both at junior and senior level, but the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 has changed the face of the game in terms of exposure and monetising the players,” says Sudheer.
For Tharun Gowda who hails from Hassan, life has taken a different turn after the first season of the League. “Earlier, even though I had participated in the Nationals, nobody used to recognise me. But after the first season, people wave and cheer at me and take selfies. I feel like a hero,” says the 23-year-old attacker. “I am happy that the tournament is contributing to the revival of the sport in the state and provides a platform for players to shine,” said the 23-year-old.
With a bunch of talented players from the State emerging out of the League, it is safe to say that the future of Karnataka volleyball looks bright.
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