PKL 10: Who is Ankit Jaglan? All you need to know about the Patna Pirates' player in Pro Kabaddi 2023
Despite being listed in category D, Ankit Jaglan was looked at as a hot property at the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) 2023 auction. Expectedly, Jaglan ignited a bidding war among franchises.
A lot of franchises went after him to strengthen their all-rounders' department. Patna Pirates, eventually, bought his services for a whopping amount of ₹31.5 lakhs.
The Pirates had to let go of their star defender Mohammadreza Shadlou and it will be interesting to see if Ankit Jaglan could fill the void left by the Iranian. Playing as a left-corner defender, he showed a lot of promise in the Patna Pirates’ first match, picking up five tackle points.
"Ankit started playing the Kabaddi when he was nine years old" - Ankit Jaglan’s father
Hailing from Haryana, Ankit Jaglan had no Kabaddi genes in the family. He often watched his seniors play in school and gradually developed an interest in the sport.
With no renowned coach in his village, Ankit would learn most of the skills from the senior players and grow his game. He wasn’t too inclined towards academics and was more interested in sports.
His parents also supported his ambitions for Kabaddi. In a recent video uploaded on Patna Pirates' YouTube channel, Ankit's father revealed that he started playing when his only nine years old.
"Ankit was 9 years old when he started playing Kabaddi and now it's been 15 years," Ankit's father said. "He was selected in Haryana's state Kabaddi team in 2016. He played for Haryana's state team and, later, also played for Rajasthan and Chattisgarh."
His coach labeled him as ‘one of the most disciplined kids’ growing up, who always showed up on time and wouldn’t skip practice sessions.
"Ankit learned the game pretty quickly and made substantial improvements in less time. He was someone who would always reach on time and start his training," Ankit's coach said in the same video.
With time, Ankit developed more interest and in 2016, he was selected for Haryana’s state Kabaddi team. Overall, he has earned 26 points in 43 matches so far.
Ankit Jaglan stormed into the list of top-five debutants in the PKL season 10 auction after Patna Pirates bought him for a whopping ₹31.50 lakhs.
In his debut game, he returned with a high 5. Patna Pirates played their second game against Gujarat Giants on Thursday, where Ankit pocketed four points.