Pro-Kabaddi League: This Bengaluru Bulls kabaddi player is Poles apart

Hailing from Poland, one would expect Michal Spiczko to greet you in English. But the 28-year-old takes everyone including his gathered team-mates at the hotel lobby by surprise with a "mera naam Michal Spiczko hai. Aapse milke bahut khushi hui (my name is Michal Spiczko. Pleased to meet you)."

Spiczko is Poles apart. Quite literally. Having been signed by the Bengaluru Bulls for the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League, it's safe to say that he's enjoying his Indian trip to the fullest.

It's just been two days in the country and he can already count to 10 in Hindi. "Ek, do, teen.... dus. Dekha (1, 2, 3, 10. See)," he says dressed in the Bengaluru team jersey as the team gets ready to leave for Sunday's match against U Mumba.

Spiczko's love affair with the game happened due to a romantic affair between his friend in Warsaw who fell in love with an Indian girl. "She told him about the sport two years back and that's how it reached my ears. Just by hearing about it, I felt a sort of connect to the game. I looked up videos and read a lot about it. I just knew it was kabaddi from that moment on," he says.

One of the main reasons Spiczko chose to play the game was his sporting background during his younger days. "I was a champion at kayaking and was a part of an American football team. That really led to me being athletic. Despite football being so well followed in the country, I am not that big a fan of the sport. I'm Poles apart," he says with a hearty laugh.

Having started playing kabaddi in his local gym back home, it was an encounter with Ashok Das, general secretary of the England Kabaddi Association who realised Spiczko's dream of playing the sport with the world watching.

"I met him when he came for a kabaddi demonstration back home. His contacts led to me being a part of the auction. I wasn't expecting a heavy price, was just delighted to see someone end up buying me," said Spiczko, who was picked by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 1.5 lakh.

Speaking about the kabaddi scene back home, Spiczko, an IT professional, says that the sport has made a lot of headway in the past two years. "Thankfully, my company is self sufficient to see me skip work for such a long time. It's good to be the boss. That said, we do have a Poland Kabaddi Foundation. Right now, the numbers are really less but we do have a team of 15 that plays tournaments in countries around Poland. Just last week, we beat a couple of teams in Birmingham, England. So, things are looking very promising."

As far as the team composition is concerned, Spiczko is delighted to see how people from different backgrounds have come together to form a team. "We practice thrice a week at a local gymnasium in Warsaw at seven in the morning. Everyone heads to work after that. We have footballers, electricians, some wrestlers. Heck, even my younger brother John is part of the team," he chuckles. John happens to work as a prison guard at Warsaw. "We need such guys," he winks.

Having arrived in the city on Friday, Spiczko wasn't considered match-fit for his side's 33-25 win over the Bengal Warriors on Saturday. Despite sitting on the bench, the 40 minutes were something that he will never forget.

"What a wonderful game! We were 2-12 down at a point but I could see how focused my team-mates were to overturn the deficit. From 10 points behind, to win by eight, superb. That said, I wasn't blown away by the turnout. I hope guys back home tuned in to see the game. I'm loving the attention here, so I can only imagine the number of interviews I'll be giving when I get back home," he signs off but not before saying, "phir milenge (will meet again), I know that too."

Know Michal

Team: Bengaluru Bulls
Nationality: Poland
DOB: July 15, 1987
Jersey number: 77