Haryana police

The Pro Kabaddi League Season: In a village tucked away in Haryana’s Rohtak district, a young boy once spent his days swinging a cricket bat. Kabaddi was nowhere on the radar - until one afternoon changed everything. That boy was Nitesh Kumar, now one of the brightest defensive prospects in the Pro Kabaddi League, and the rising star of Tamil Thalaivas.

“I was about 13, weighed around 40 kilos, and just followed my friends to the Kabaddi ground,” Nitesh recalled in the 'Rise of a Star'. “I lost my first match - I don’t even remember the score. But something clicked. I knew this was it.”

The journey that followed was anything but smooth. With unwavering support of his family and his coach Ramesh Kumar - a strict disciplinarian from a nearby village and a serving officer in the Haryana Police - Nitesh began to train seriously. It was in local tournaments that he shaped his defensive instincts, often picking up techniques just by observing senior players.