Nitin Tomar: 10 things you need to know about him

Nitin Tomar, one of India's most promising young raiders, will represent a new team on the mat this season. After stints with Bengal Warriors and Puneri Paltan, Tomar signed for new entrants UP Yoddhas, for an astronomical sum. Here are some things you should know about him.

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#1 Nitin was born in the Malakpur village in Baghpat District of Uttar Pradesh. His village is famous for churning out wrestlers, with many national and international grapplers rising from the region. Among them are two Arjuna Award winners, Shokendra Tomar and Rajiv Tomar.

#2 In addition to the village, Nitin had wrestling inspiration closer to home as well. Two of his paternal uncles, Prahlad and Ashok Tomar have wrestled at the international level.

#3 Naturally, with such a legacy for wrestling, Nitin faced some resistance and ridicule in his village when he decided to take up kabaddi. The reason for this was simple though: the lack of wrestling facilities in Nitin's school. Unable to play the dominant sport of his village, he turned to kabaddi.

#4 Kabaddi and wrestling, both being contact sports that require strength and agility, have a lot in common. Nitin acknowledges as much, crediting his great upper body strength to his initial wrestling sessions with his uncles.

#5 Nitin Tomar had a promising start to his professional career, when he won gold with the Uttar Pradesh team at the Junior Nationals in 2011, at the tender age of 16.

#6 Before making headlines in the Pro Kabaddi League, Nitin represented Services, whilst being a petty officer with the Indian Navy, in the INS Angre Unit. His father recalls how Nitin impressed teams from the Services in a tournament in Dhanaura and immediately got an offer to join.

#7 After sitting out for the first two seasons of the league, the 22-year-old finally got a PKL contract in the third season, from Bengal Warriors. He turned out to be a revelation, with 77 raid points in his first season.

#8 On the back of some stellar performances, a young Nitin was selected in India's squad for the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016. Despite playing a peripheral role for much of the tournament, he was crucial in India's win against Iran in the final. Coming on in the second half, with India trailing by one point, he scored two raid points to give his side a crucial lead which they then maintained throughout the game. Tomar finished the game with six raid points.

#9 Nitin's meteoric rise saw him become the most expensive player at Season 5's auctions, where Uttar Pradesh Yoddhas acquired him for an astronomical INR 93 lakhs. Caught in an intense bidding war with Telugu Titans, Team UP finally acquired the services of the star raider. Considering that the highest bid in the first PKL auction in 2012 was INR 12.98 lakhs, it's clear that the game has grown by leaps and bounds.

#10 The hefty price tag came as a surprise to Nitin himself who was expecting something in the range of INR 40-50 lakhs. He remains unfazed though and maintains that his performance will not be affected by the weight of expectations. He, however, already has plans on how to spend the money. The raider wants to finance his sister's marriage, and also invest in the family's agricultural land. Before all that, there is the "big treat" that he has to give his friends!