Naveen was born in Bhaini Jattan (Kungar)village in Bhiwani district, Haryana, on 14 February 2000.[6] His father (Sansar Goyat) is a Roadways Bus driver; and he was introduced to the sport by his grandfather.[7] He completed his education at Kurukshetra University.[8] He is the youngest person playing in the Pro Kabaddi League.[8][9]
Pro Kabaddi League career
Season 6
Naveen made his debut in 2018, Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League for the club Dabang Delhi. He finished the season as the team's top scorer with 177 points and helped it to the playoffs.[10]
Season 7
He performed consistently in Season 7 and won the Most valuable player Award (MVP).[11] The team emerged runner-up.[12][13][14] His performance placed him as one of the league's best raiders, scoring 300 points in a single season.[15][16] He scored Super 10s (more than 10 points in a single game) in 22 of the 23 matches he played.[17][18] He also got the nickname 'Naveen Express' for his speedy raids and consistency.[19]
Season 8
Naveen played in the first few matches of the tournament and the team won initial games.[20][21][22][23] He also became the fastest player to reach 600 points in the history of the league.[24][25] However, he had to walk out in the middle due to an injury.[26][16][27][28][29] He returned in the latter stage of the tournament.[30][31][32] Dabang Delhi won the tournament.[33] Naveen won the Most Valuable Player Award as well.[34]
International career
Naveen Kumar plays for the Indian national kabaddi team. He was a part of the national team at the 13th South-Asian Games, where he played an important role in helping the team win the tournament. He scored a Super 10 in the final against Sri Lanka.[35][36] In the Asian Kabaddi Championships 2023 in Busan, he is the key player of a team. Naveen performed well in this tournament and helped India take a gold medal.[9] He was selected for the Asian Games 2023, which were hosted by China.[37]