Sunil Kumar (born 12 May 1997) is an Indian kabaddi player who plays in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) for the U Mumba franchise as a defender.[1][2] After winning the Junior Nationals in 2015 and 2016, he was picked up by Patna Pirates for the PKL season 4.[3] He later transferred to Jaipur Pink Panthers.[4][5] In 2023, Kumar competed for India at the 2022 Asian Games;[6][7] where the Indian team won gold, controversially defeating Iran 33–29 in the finals.[8][9]
Early life and background
Sunil was born 12 May 1997[10] and hails from a farmer's family in Bhainswal Kalan, Sonipat District, Haryana.[3] Many of his cousins including, Parvesh Bhainswal, used to play kabaddi. Inspired by them, he took to the game at the age of 11 years. He did well at the university games and was spotted by coach Jaivir Sharma and later joined the Sports Authority of India training centre at Ahmedabad.[3]
