PKL Young Stars: Sandeep Dhull - The Opportunist
When Sandeep Dhull was brought in as a super substitution as Ravinder Pahal looked to get a 2-pointer super tackle, enthusiastic fans at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, Kolkata were about to be flabbergasted. Sandeep's first impression was so phenomenal, the word "opportunist" totally justifies the reason what he was about to do that day!
Match no. 16 (Pro Kabaddi Season 3) between Jaipur and Delhi had seen lots of ups and downs without a definite winner till the last minute. In the 36th minute of the match, Ran Singh was left alone with Jaipur on the verge of being all-out. He walked in to raid steadily trying to execute a toe touch over Sandeep.
Sandeep Dhull was born on 10th February 1996 in a district named Kaithal in Haryana. An undaunted 5th grader Sandeep understood his passion of playing Kabaddi back in 2005. He started his voyage to achieve his dreams at the age of 10.
His coach, Shri Rajbir Singh started to train Sandeep to improve his reflex action and endurance in the game and coaches him even today! Just like how an eye blinks or even much quicker, Sandeep went low and dived over the right knee of Ran Singh and Ravinder Pahal quickly supported him to earn 2 points for their team.
Commentator Padam Sherawat cheered to his peak and the fans stood up, astonished by what they had seen. Nobody had witnessed such swift reaction time by a defender before. Sandeep was a truly exciting addition in the days to come ahead.
Inspired by Joginder Narwal and his ankle holds, Sandeep trained pretty well which allowed him to avoid injuries and be robust on the mat. His devotion took him to Junior National India Camp. He proceeded to play inter-university and eventually, he represented Senior National India Camp where the aspirations of a hardworking defender were about to get true.
Expectations were high from this young lad who had brought excitement to the game of Kabaddi. When Dhull got a switch to Telegu Titans in Season 4, he formed a deadly duo with another Sandeep, the beastly Sandeep Narwal. His career-best performance came in his first match versus Bengal Warriors when he scored 8 tackle points in 9 attempts.
Sandeep Dhull was not picked in the initial matches of Dabang Delhi K.C. who were trying to get a perfect combination of playing 7. After his first match, Sandeep booked his place as a permanent defender and ended his outing with 32 tackle points in 10 matches averaging 3.2 tackle points per match. Dabang Delhi K.C. had a season to forget but Sandeep Dhull rose to the occasion as he had the most super tackles in Pro Kabaddi Season 3, 6 times to be exact!
A show of pure dominance with a plethora of moves like back hold, chain tackle, and diving knee hold showed how fierce Sandeep was on that day. Overall, he got 35 tackle points in 12 matches. The duo of Sandeep and Sandeep took the team to the semi-finals of Pro Kabaddi Season 4. Titans failed to win the trophy as they stood no. 4, however, Dhull depicted why he was reliable on the mat.
In Season 5 auctions where many teams were expected to bid at an enormous pace for Dhull, nobody even raised their paddle at his base of ₹20 lakhs! A night to forget for him got even worse when a Telegu Titans' certain staff alleged Sandeep Dhull for not getting retained due to "an attitude problem" which without any proof went viral on the internet. Months of hardship vanished in a flash as many fans got blindsided and threw unacceptable comments on Sandeep.
It is really disappointing that many couldn't realize his calibre as left corner defender. Sandeep is audacious when it comes to defending as he carries his heart in his clutch on the mat. However, Sandeep is a tender-hearted and kind person outside of the mat. His gameplay incites thrill and excitement, which truly deserves appreciation from the Kabaddi world
Dhull was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers ahead of Pro Kabaddi Season 6 at an enormous ₹66 lakhs. Irrespective of allegations, Sandeep still hopes to achieve praise once again from his fans by entertaining the Kabaddi world with his swift defence. Here's wishing Sandeep Dhull for a marvellous outing for the Pink Panthers' in the sixth edition of Pro Kabaddi.