Surjeet Singh Biography

Surjeet Singh has risen to become one of the most difficult defenders to face in Kabaddi. A stupendous performer of the "dash" to overthrow the raider out of the mat, Surjeet was born on 10th August 1990 in Haryana. He was brought up in Kathura, a village in Sonipat district which is known for producing world-class athletes among all the sports. Growing up around Kabaddi and seeing veteran players like Anup Kumar inspired Surjeet to become a kabaddi player.

Surjeet got a job with the Services at a very young age and started playing for them in the national circuit. He still plays for Services and was a part of their team at the 67th Senior National Kabaddi Championships in Jaipur.

Surjeet Singh Pro Kabaddi Career

Surjeet made his debut in Pro Kabaddi Season 3 after was signed up by Puneri Paltan. He played under yet another magnificent defender, Manjeet Chillar, who has been a solid defender for India for a long time. Surjeet's performance in his debut season saw him play extraordinarily as Pune went on to make it to the semifinals for the first time. While Manjeet ended up as the top defender of the tournament, Surjeet scored 48 tackle points from 12 matches to finish as the third-best defender.

He was bought by U Mumba for PKL Season 4 where he had yet another respectable season to finish in the top 10 defenders of the season. He scored 37 points in 14 matches. His heroics in the league and the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad led to Bengal Warriors snatching Surjeet for a whopping Rs. 73 lakh at the PKL Season 5 auctions. He was one of the most expensive players to have been bought at the auction.

The right cover was handed the responsibility of leading the Kolkata based franchise with Jagdish Kumble as the coach. He led the team to the playoffs but lost a close encounter against the eventual champions Patna Pirates during the second qualifier. Speaking of individual performance, Surjeet was the second-highest tackle points scorer just behind Surender Nada. He scored 76 points from 24 matches and had 9 High 5s to his name. He was retained for PKL 2018 by the Warriors and once again led the team to the playoffs. However, his performance dropped even though he finished as the top defender for Bengal. He was let go before the PKL Season 7 auctions.

Entering the players' pool with a base price of Rs. 30 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2019 Auctions, teams like Patna Pirates, UP Yoddha, and Puneri Paltan for the ace defender. After a bidding war between the three teams, Surjeet eventually was bought by the Pune based franchise for Rs. 56 lakh. He was named the skipper of the team right before the season started while his for the skipper of the national team, Anup Kumar, was appointed as the coach.

Surjeet failed to perform as a captain as Puneri Paltan finished in the last three with just seven wins to their name. He was still one of the top defenders of the league with 63 tackle points from 21 matches and led the way with seven High 5s.

Surjeet Singh International Career

Surjeet's performance in the senior nationals for the Services team and also with Puneri Paltan in the debut season, Surjeet was selected to be a part of the team participating at the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati. He, along with Surender Nada was responsible for the defense while players Anup Kumar, Ajay Thakur, and Sukesh Hegde took care of the attack. The Indian team went on to win the gold medal at the tournament, one of the many for Surjeet.

He was then selected for the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad where the then 26-year old finished as the top defender with 26 points. He stood like a wall in front of the opposition raiders and was one of the key players in India's win at the tournament.