Pro Kabaddi: Patna Pirates capain Rakesh Kumar out for the next few weeks

Patna Pirates Rakesh Kumar (Right) with Team Manager Kartik

Rakesh Kumar, star raider of Patna Pirates and the Indian kabaddi team got injured in the Patna leg of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. The star raider got injured during a raid against Telugu Titans. The most expensive player of the first season of Pro Kabaddi’s injury will be a concern for the Pirates as the league enters its business end.

The 33-year-old from Nizampur is playing a dual role for the Patna Pirates as a coach cum captain. Team manager of Patna Pirates Kartik Sansanwal spoke to Sportskeeda regarding Rakesh Kumar’s injury. He admitted that their captain is very crucial for the team, while revealing that his hamstring injury may take a couple of weeks to recover.

“Rakesh Kumar got injured during the match against Telugu Titans. He is suffering from a hamstring pull. His injury is very serious, which may take some time to recover,” team manager Kartik said.

“We exactly don’t know the exact recovery time, it may take few weeks in recovery. He will return after properly recovering from the injury. We hope that he will be fit to play soon.”

Patna Pirates have won both the matches which Rakesh Kumar has missed. Hence, it is doubtful if the former Indian captain will make a direct comeback to the side. Kartik did not reveal if Rakesh would go straight in the team and said that the call will be taken once the raider is fit.

“The team is doing good under the captaincy of Sandeep Narwal. Rakesh Kumar is on rest right now. We will take a call on his role after his return and till then, we will go with Sandeep Narwal,” he said.

“Some other players like Sunil (Kumar) and Sandeep (Narwal) also got injured in last 2 games, but their injuries are not serious. They want to play with their injuries and their minor injuries can’t stop them.”