"One keeps on thinking they might get hurt again" – Pro Kabaddi 2022 star Naveen Kumar says he is scared of injuries

Dabang Delhi KC star Naveen Kumar has opined that every athlete like him is afraid of suffering injuries. The youngster was injured midway through the previous season and remained out of action for a couple of weeks.

While Naveen Kumar made a fantastic comeback after the injury, he felt that it was not easy to stop thinking about it recurring. During a chat with Sportskeeda on Kabaddi Hangout, Naveen said that an injured player needs extra motivation from others to get his mojo back.

"Every athlete is scared of injuries. It directly impacts the game. After injury, one keeps on thinking that whenever they start playing, they might get hurt again. It feels good when you have someone to motivate you during that tough time," said Naveen.

Kumar was the architect of Dabang Delhi KC's championship win last season. Despite missing a few matches due to injury, he finished fourth on the raiders' leaderboard with 207 raid points to his name.

The Delhi-based franchise unsurprisingly retained him ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 Auction.

I was in pain during the Senior National Championships: Naveen Kumar discloses was in rehab before PKL

Naveen Kumar further mentioned that he injured himself again during the break between the two PKL seasons. He played in pain at the Senior National Championships earlier this year, but is now fit and ready to roar for Dabang Delhi KC.

"Everything was managed by the Delhi team management. The trainers are very good. It still pains sometimes. I was in pain during the Senior National Championships, but after that I had a rehab programme. So, I am feeling better now," added Naveen.

Defending champions Dabang Delhi KC will start their new season against season two-time winners U Mumba on October 7. It will be interesting to see how Naveen performs in season nine.