Sunil Kumar Malik (Kabaddi Player)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sunil Kumar Malik

• Sunil Kumar Malik is an Indian professional kabaddi player. He plays for the Indian National team as a right defender. He has been a part of various Kabaddi teams including Gujarat Giants, North Eastern Railway, and Patna Pirates.

• He had a passion for playing Kabaddi since he was a child. He started playing Kabaddi when he was 11 years old.

• Sunil Kumar Malik caught the attention of Jaivir Sharma at the University Nationals, where Sunil won a gold medal. Jaivir Sharma was impressed by his performance in the tournament and decided to train him at the Sports Authority of India in Gandhinagar to compete in higher-level tournaments.

• In 2015, he became a part of Sports Authority of India team and participated in the Junior Nations for two consecutive years (2015 to 2017). He helped his team to win the tournaments in both years. His remarkable performance in junior tournaments led to his selection by the Patna Pirates for season 4 of the Pro Kabaddi League.

• He made his Pro Kabaddi League debut with season 4, where he was acquired by the team Patna Pirates. He played only one match in the season.

• In Pro Kabaddi League Season 5, he was bought by Gujarat Fortunegiants for Rs 30.40 lakh. He scored 39 tackle points and -1 raid point in the season.

• The team Gujarat Fortunegiants retained him for Rs 49.10 lakh and Rs 67 lakh for the season 6 and 7 respectively. He captained the team for both the seasons.

• In 2019, he represented the Indian team in the South Asia Games and succeed in winning the gold medal.

• He participated in the 68th Senior National Kabaddi Championship in 2021. He picked up 253 tackle points and 3 raid points in the championship.

• He was acquired by Gujarat Giants for Rs 74.40 in Pro Kabaddi League Season 8. He secured 38 tackle points and 1 raid point from 23 matches.

  

• In Pro Kabaddi League Season 9, he became the most expensive defender in the history of the PKL player auction after being acquired for Rs 90 lakh by the Pink Panthers. He stepped as captain, leading his team to victory by scoring 64 tackle points and 1 raid point in 23 matches.

  

• In Pro Kabaddi League Season 10, he again represented the team Pink Panthers as a captain.

• Sunil Kumar Malik also took part in the 69th Senior National Kabaddi Championship in 2023, where 14 tackle points and 4 raid points.

• In 2023, he represented India at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. He was the vice-captain of the Indian team and helped his team win the gold medal by defeating Iran 33-29 in the finals.

• He considers Anup Kumar as his role model.

• He follows a strict workout regimen to maintain his health.