Who is Sudhakar M? All you need to need to know about the Patna Pirates' raider
Sudhakar M impressed one and all with his performance against Gujarat Giants in Patna Pirates' second PKL encounter this season. This was also his debut Pro Kabaddi match.
The young raider, hailing from Tamil Nadu, picked up four raid and two tackle points, contributing to their second consecutive win. Coming in as a substitute and scoring six valuable points, the left raider has begun his PKL journey on a mighty positive note.
He was one of the New Young Player (NYP) picks for Patna Pirates ahead of PKL 10. Sudhakar's kabaddi journey has been an inspiring one, making it from the very bottom to the premier franchise league for the sport.
So, who is this young raider and what is his journey? Let us find out!
The rise of Sudhakar from a small village to the Pro Kabaddi League
Sudhakar comes from Palayanallur, a small village in Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu. He is one of the young athletes who had been in the reckoning for the past few months.
The 21-year-old made his name in the winter edition of the Yuva Kabaddi Series. This tournament that was held in Pondicherry in 2022, proved to be instrumental for the youngster.
Sudhakar represented the Palani Tuskers, which was also a debutant team. The Tuskers went on to finish as runners-up and he played a vital role in taking them to the final.
He finished as the best raider of the tournament with 320 raid points from just 28 matches. Moreover, his strike rate of 77.10%, an average of 11.42 raid points per match, along with 13 Super Raids and 18 Super 10s are testimonials of a phenomenal series that he had.
However, Sudhakar's rise hasn't been an easy one. His path has been hard as he had to switch to a different college to receive enough support to play the sport. He made it into the university team right away, which won the inter-college and zonal tournaments.
Starting from a very young age, the left raider got an opportunity to play for the Tiruchirappalli district and then for the junior state side. Unfortunately, injuries were a part of his career right from the early days, leaving him unable to attend the trials for the Yuva Kabaddi Series. However, his coach from the Tamil Nadu junior side entrusted faith in Sudhakar, selecting him to play for the Palani Tuskers.
His brilliant performance in the tournament eventually paved the way for his entry into the Pro Kabaddi League. Sudhakar also secured a job in ICF (Integral Coach Factory) in Chennai after his superb show in the Yuva Kabaddi Series. The ICF comprises names such as Abhinesh Nadarajan and Sajin Chandrasekar, who are also playing in the PKL 10.
He is among the very few from his village to not only play for the junior state side and the Yuva Kabaddi Series, but also make it to the Pro Kabaddi League