PKL Season 6: Meet Nitin Mavi - An aspirational journey to become a lionhearted Yoddha

Tears of happiness must have rolled down the cheeks of Nitin Mavi and his beloved ones when he saw the text "Nitin Mavi sold to U.P. Yoddha for ₹8 lakhs" on his phone. It was all the hard work, sacrifices, struggles and devotion that paid off for this lad along with an immense support from his father and his uncle. Dejected that he couldn't play for India, Nitin's father Shri Rajinder Mavi saw a ray of hope in young Nitin who could bring sunshine through Kabaddi.

Born on February 22nd 1998, Nitin Mavi was born in a small village of Tehkhand in Delhi. His father Shri Rajinder Mavi played 11 nationals (3 from junior level and 8 from the seniors) but never got the chance to represent his own nation. His uncle, Joginder Mavi was a sportsperson in his prime as well. During those early years, Tehkhand almost had 300 players who wanted to play Kabaddi but deprivation of enough money was so cruel on them that their dreams got shattered and ambitions perished.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Rajinder Mavi saw a potential in his son who one day would turn his aspiration into reality. In 2010, Nitin started playing Kabaddi for the first time and got into the 2011 Sub Junior Nationals under 50 kg category. His sleepless nights and hard training got him to play in four different states namely Kerala, Gujarat, Orissa and Telengana from 2012 till 2016. He also received training from the Gujarat Sai Hostel from 2014 till 2018.

A right cover defender who has vigorous dashes and compact thigh holds in his arsenal, Nitin represented team India and brought the gold medal home when he participated in the International Invitational Men's Kabaddi Tournament held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2017.

The dream which Rajinder Mavi saw got accomplished by his son, the cherishes couldn't have been better. He failed to get selected in the NYP Trails held by Star Sports not once but twice. Nitin foresaw his dreams getting crushed until one day he heard about U.P. Yoddha's on-ground trials in Ghaziabad.

It was now or never, his father took leave amidst his private job. Along with Joginder, he took the training to the next level. Nitin was never going to throw this opportunity away, he flourished on the day of the trials with his finest performances. The team management of U.P. Yoddha along with the Colonel of GMR group admired his efforts, he triumphed. It was the day to remember in Tehkhand.

Nitin (right) represented Team India who got a gold medal in a friendly international tournament held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

All of us are bound towards grateful to Shri. Rajinder Mavi and Joginder Mavi in keeping the ambitions alive and contributing silently to the game of Kabaddi. Both of them together run a Kabaddi academy in their village which has 65 Kabaddi players as of today consisting of around 30 national players, 10 senior national players, 12 juniors and the remaining sub-juniors who aspire of getting recognition through this game of soil.

Nitin, a bold and courageous cover defender will be donning the maroon jersey of U.P. Yoddha in Pro Kabaddi Season 6. He will aid the defensive unit along with Jeeva Kumar as his cover duo. While Rishank Devadiga wears the captain's hat, Nitin Mavi will get an eyeful attention of the fans, a captivating sight is up for grabs. Let's not forget all dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.