Prime Volleyball League: Bengaluru Torpedoes building perfect team environment, says coach

The Torpedoes are focused on nailing their team bonding sessions before finalising their combinations and strategies for their first game in the Prime Volleyball League.

The Torpedoes will open their campaign against Kochi Blue Spikers on February 8 before meeting the remaining teams in a round-robin format.

Ahead of its season opener in the inaugural Prime Volleyball League in Hyderabad, Bengaluru Torpedoes coach K. R. Lakshminarayana is stepping up the preparations.

With a fine blend of Indian and international veterans and young talent from across the country, the Torpedoes are focused on team bonding sessions before finalising their combinations and strategies.

"We have had a good 4-5 hours of training sessions every day since our camp in Mysore in early January. The foreign players (Noah Taitano, Kyle Friend) joined the camp in Hyderabad, and I have been amazed at the way they've mixed alongside the group. They've picked up all the inputs very quickly alongside the senior Indian players, and we're now focused on getting our combinations right before the first game," said Lakshminarayana.

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The former Karnataka coach also believes that there are no favourites in the league just yet while adding that the Torpedoes have put together a solid squad from the auction. "We have bagged a balanced team from the auction, with a couple of ex-Indian players in the side. We have an established leader in Ranjit (Singh) while young players from Karnataka - Vinayak (Rokhade), Ganesha and Srajan (Shetty) also boost the quality of the side."

While title aspirations will undoubtedly be on its checklist, Bengaluru-owner Ankit Nagori stressed that the Torpedoes would focus on building and maintaining a core around which its plans will revolve in the imminent future.

"It's a very long journey and our initial goal will be to get a good bunch together and stick with them for many years and nurture talent through the grass-roots program. It will be an important input in how we see our team shaping up over the years," Ankit said.

Despite the league being confined to a 22-day window in Hyderabad due to COVID-19 concerns, Ankit is confident that the event will move forward in a way where a home/away format will help the side to capitalise on its Bengaluru fan-base. "The Bangaloreans love their sport. We've seen how they've supported their football and cricket teams over the past. I am confident that whenever the COVID situation eases, the concept of the home and away format will evolve, and we will be able to create a strong community in Bangalore, besides the Torpedoes outfit as well," Ankit added.

The Torpedoes will open their campaign against Kochi Blue Spikers on February 8 before meeting the remaining teams in a round-robin format.