Dharmaraj Cheralathan

Dharmaraj Cheralathan is an Indian professional kabaddi player who plays for Haryana Steelers in the Pro Kabaddi and has been previously capped by the Indian national kabaddi team. He was born on 21st April 1975 and hails from the village of Thiruchanampondi in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. A versatile player, he can play both the right and left corners in defence. Boasting an experience of over two decades, he commands an obligatory respect from his teammates who fondly refer to him as “Anna”.

A well seasoned veteran who still has a couple of years left in him, Dharmaraj has the biggest weapon in his arsenal - experience. He is capable of outwitting the raider in a battle of wits and is extremely tactically sound. Although he might not be as athletic as he was in his prime, he still does retain much of his physicality.

Combine that with his wit and experience, you have a complete defender who will give it all for the team. His signature move is the ankle hold, where grabs hold of the raider’s ankle with his hands and pulls the raider in towards him.

Background

Dharmaraj comes from a family of farmers and used to regularly work on the fields alongside his siblings as a child. His brother D Gopu is also a successful kabaddi player and features for the Tamil Thalaivas.

Rise to Glory

He first caught people’s attention in the Season 2 of the Pro Kabaddi League while playing for the Bengaluru Bulls, as he scored a remarkable 42 tackle points for his team. He built his reputation in the league as one of the most consistent defenders you could count upon.

Club Career

Dharmaraj has played for Bengaluru Bulls, Telugu Titans, Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan and U Mumba in the Pro Kabaddi League.

Achievements

Cheralathan has nine gold medals with the national team in events such as Kabaddi National Championship, 2017 Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Beach Games.

He has also won the PKL title with the Patna Pirates in the fourth season.

Dharmaraj Cheralathan Pro Kabaddi Stats