Pro Kabaddi: 5 coaches who have played for PKL teams in the past

Modified Nov 24, 2019 13:01 IST

Anup Kumar guided the Puneri Paltan in Season 7.

#2 Rakesh Kumar

Rakesh Kumar's Pro Kabaddi career does not do justice to the caliber he has had over the years of serving Indian Kabaddi. The former Indian skipper was the most expensive player signed in the inaugural season, when he was signed for ₹12.8 lakhs by the Patna Pirates.

Rakesh changed the face of Kabaddi single-handedly as an experienced all-rounder, winning most matches for India on his own. The Arjuna awardee was a vital part of the Indian Kabaddi team that won the Kabaddi World Cup (2004, 2007), and clinched gold medals in the Asian Games (2006, 2010, 2014) and South Asian Games (2006, 2010). He has represented Indian Railways for many years in the Senior National Kabaddi Championships.

Rakesh scored 186 raid points and 74 tackle points while representing the Patna Pirates, U Mumba, and Telugu Titans in different seasons till season 5. He was signed as the head coach of the Haryana Steelers in the seventh season, a season in which he took the team to the playoffs.

About the author

Vijay Sain is a freelance writer from Jaipur, Rajasthan, currently residing in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Ever since writing his very first article in June 2018, Vijay has mostly worked on covering Kabaddi passionately to throw light on the upcoming talents and acquainting the Kabaddi admirers with a plethora of information through his articles.

In addition to covering Kabaddi, Vijay has also begun covering Cricket and Volleyball as two of the other sports which he admires. An admirer of Rahul Dravid as a cricketer and Rajasthan Royals as a team, Vijay is also a WWE enthusiast who loves AJ Styles and CM Punk.

A hobbyist in writing, the 22-year-old is also the founder and a learning entrepreneur in a jewelry-based firm - Devansh Creations. A bookish person who fell in love with mathematics during his high-school, Vijay is also passionate about cooking, traveling, and exploring new ideas every day.

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal