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A rising star in Indian Kabaddi, Sandeep Kumar is playing his first season in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) for the Patna Pirates in the ongoing edition. In just five matches, he has shown his raiding mettle.
Kumar has accumulated 23 points with a raid strike rate of 55 percent. His agility, sharp mind, and fearless attitude have stood out. The young raider made his way into PKL on the back of impressive performances in the Yuva Kabaddi Series.
The Patna Pirates raider hails from Begusarai district of Bihar but lives in the Rohtak district of Haryana. His father drives an auto in the city. Sandeep Kumar doesn’t belong to a well-to-do family and had a tough childhood.
However, things started working in his favor when he got the opportunity to showcase his skills in the Yuva Kabaddi Series. His impressive performance in the tournament helped him bag an INR 9 lakh contract from Patna Pirates at the PKL 2023 auction.
“My family did not support me, but I continued playing Kabaddi”- Sandeep Kumar
Born into a poor family, it was quite obvious that Sandeep Kumar’s family wouldn’t approve of his ambitions to make a career in Kabaddi. They would rather tell him to focus on studies, but the Kabaddi star had already fallen in love with the sport.
“My family stopped supporting my kabaddi career because they wanted me to study and work a job. My family thought kabaddi won't take me anywhere and I would get injured," Sandeep told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview.
He added:
“Our financial condition was not so good. Hence, my family did not support me, but I continued playing kabaddi. Then, I got selected for Junior Nationals and next, I played in the Junior Federation Cup as well as YKS. Next, Patna Pirates signed me at the PKL Auction, and I am playing here now."
After bagging a massive contract from Patna Pirates, all those worrying thoughts have now taken a back seat and the family members pushed Sandeep to do better. It remains to be seen if he can deliver consistent performances in the ongoing season and carve a niche for himself.
