In cricket-crazy India, kabaddi is making waves.
So much so, that in a recent Tamil Thalaivas vs U Mumba match, an unprecedented incident — of a spectator breaching the play area to cheer a player — occurred for the first time in the history of the league. It signals the rising popularity of the sport among audiences across the country.
Pro Kabaddi League, in its 12th edition currently, has taken the sport from the muddy grounds of rural India to the cushy confines of urban drawing rooms, where, every evening, audiences get a taste of adrenaline-filled kabaddi action that includes squat thrusts and chain tackle.
PKL 2025, currently on in Chennai, has introduced plenty of fresh talent. We catch up with three players and discover their stories:
Deepak Sankar of Bengaluru Bulls
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Deepak Sankar
Bengaluru Bulls
The Back Hold and Ankle Hold are highly specialised moves in kabaddi. It involves a defender gripping a raider’s back or ankle in order to stop them from advancing.
Deepak Sankar knows a thing or two about these moves that require precise timing, anticipation and positioning. It is turning out to be his USP among his teammates in the ongoing PKL 2025. “Fanfare and hype for televised kabaddi matches was low a few years ago. Now, it has picked up, both with the number of players and audiences. Like cricket, kabaddi also has immense reach today, even in Tamil Nadu.”
Much like how cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin picked the now-popular sodakku ball (carrom ball) from the streets of Chennai, Deepak picked these particular signature moves when he played with his friends in the fields of Kattur village in Tiruchi. “We wouldn’t play a lot of cricket back in my hometown. My childhood was filled with summers playing kabaddi; it was a lot of fun,” recalls the sportsman, who also had good showings in recent Senior National tournaments and the Yuva Series.
Though he represents the Bengaluru team in the PKL, the fact that he is a local Tamil boy has drawn lots of Chennai fans. When Deepak walks out to play, there is applause from the crowd, both live and those watching TV back home. “Many younger boys from my town message me, wanting to practise with me. I tell them to practise as much as possible, and also participate in local tournaments to gain match experience,” says Deepak, who considers Iranian kabaddi player Fazel Atrachali and cricket superstar Virat Kohli as his inspirations.
Aya Lochchab of Patna Pirates
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Ayan Lohchab
Patna Pirates
When Ayan Lochab headed home last year post a successful debut season at PKL, children came running to him. At Bupania village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, Ayan is a hero to locals, who watch him play kabaddi on television, a game that they were used to playing only on the village’s mud courts.
Armed with a New Young Player Award from last season, this 20-year-old is making heads turn this time as well, with his raiding efforts.
But his journey started on the mud courts back home. “There was an elderly man — everyone called him ‘Dadaji’ — who used to make us play. I would mostly go to play to avoid studying in school! Slowly, I started enjoying it,” says Ayan, whose family members — noticing his talent in the sport — enrolled him in the Sushil Shastri Academy in Sonipat.
Watching one of his seniors from a nearby village — Manjeet Chhillar from Nizampur — play PKL in previous seasons gave him the much-needed impetus to practise harder. “When I got selected, I was actually at the Khelo India Youth Games in Indore. I immediately called home and told my father, “Papa, I’ve been selected!” It was a big moment for all of us.”
Ayan, who recently landed a job in the Railways, is looking at strengthening opportunities in the seasons to come. Kabaddi is for all, he says. “Unlike cricket, where you need expensive kits and facilities, kabaddi can be played by anyone, even a poor child. All you need is a ground and maybe a simple kit. You can even start barefoot on the mud. It’s a game that belongs to everyone.”
Devank Dayal of Bengal Warriorz
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangements
Devank Dayal
Bengal Warriorz
A few months ago, Devank Dayal became the most expensive Indian signing at the PKL with ₹2.205 crore. He was coming off from a record-breaking 301 raid points last season, just two years after recovering from a life-threatening skull injury.
Devank, who hails from Singhpura Khurd in Haryana’s Rohtak, had happy tears in his eyes when he saw that bid. “I only thought: now my financial struggles will finally end, and I can focus fully on kabaddi. That’s what happened. The money helped my family’s problems, and now I can play with a free mind,” he recalls.
That he has — in the ongoing leg of PKL, in which he has added responsibility as captain. “I believe the more responsibility you accept, the better you play. Kabaddi is a team game. One man alone cannot win. Only unity brings victory,” he says.
Twenty-three year-old Devank started watching kabaddi even before he started playing it. “Back then, I would help my father while he was farming and during free time, I would watch kabaddi games. I would dream that one day, I could play too. My guruji, Jagbir ji, taught me the basics,” he recalls. Joining the Army, where he met other players like Manjeet Dahiya, gave his dreams a big push. “Manjeet… tall, strong, a great raider. I wanted to be like him. Later, when I joined the Army, I even trained with him. We’re like brothers now.”
Devank has larger dreams that he wants to achieve; one of which is to play for India in the Asian Games and the World Cup. “My bigger dream is that kabaddi enters the Olympics, and if that happens, I want to play there too,” he states.
Catch live action from the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network
Published – October 07, 2025 06:20 pm IST
