Sunil Kumar Kabaddi Biography

Sunil Kumar Malik is an Indian Kabaddi player who plays as a defender for the Indian men's kabaddi team. He was born on 12 May 1997 in Bhainswal Kalan at Sonipat district of Haryana. He was the eldest born in the family of farmers. Sunil started playing Kabaddi from a young age of 11 years after he was inspired by his elder cousin brother. Growing up, Sunil was a huge admirer of former Indian Kabaddi team skipper Anup Kumar. He also a cousin of Parvesh Bhainswal.

Sunil first came into the limelight during the University Nationals when he helped his team win Gold. He then went to Sports Authority of India, Gandhinagar, to get professional training after being spotted by SAI Coach, Jaivir Sharma.

He played for the SAI team and went on to win Junior Nationals for two years from 2015 to 2017. His performance in the junior level tournament grabbed the attention of Patna Pirates and he was picked up by the team for the PKL Season 4.

Sunil Kumar Pro Kabaddi Career

Sunil made his debut in Pro Kabaddi while playing for Patna Pirates in PKL Season 4. Unfortunately, he played only one match during that season. The following season saw Gujarat Fortune Giants getting Sunil at PKL Season 5 auctions. The Gujarat team also bagged Parvesh, along with whom Sunil had great chemistry on the mat.

Sunil made full use of the opportunity given to him and scored 57 tackle points to be the second-best defender of the team after Abozar Mohajer Mighani who scored 65 points.  He got famous to tackle big match raiders like Pardeep Narwal and Deepak Niwas Hooda with his breathtaking thigh holds. Sunil formed a deadly duo with his cover partner Parvesh Bhainswal. The combination tackle of Sunil and Parvesh with Sunil going lower on the thighs followed by Parvesh’s timely support were a feast to the eyes last season.

This performance was lauded by the coach and team managers as Sunil was appointed as the skipper of the team for the next season. With the added responsibility, Sunil took his game to the next level and bettered his record than the previous season. Not only did he lead the team to reach consecutive finals in the league, but the youngster also scored 76 tackle points to end up in the top five best defenders of the season.

He was yet again retained by Gujarat for a hefty sum of Rs 67 lakh and continued to lead the team. In the Pro Kabaddi Season 7, Sunil played 18 matches and scored 46 tackle points which included four High 5s.

Sunil Kumar Indian Kabaddi Team

After his fantastic three seasons with Gujarat and a proven record in the national circuit with the Railways' team, Sunil was selected to be a part of the Indian men's kabaddi team. As his first assignment, the youngster participated in the South Asian Games 2019 where the Indian team emerged as the champions, thus earning Sunil his first gold medal for the country.