The Haryana Steelers are one of the newest chapters in the sporting revolution of Kabaddi in India. Owned by JSW Sports, the country’s foremost sports firm that has mentored and supported India’s finest athletes in the past decade, the Steelers are rooted at the ancient birthplace of Kabaddi and a
hotbed of talent, Haryana. The franchise stands for resilience, strength and tenacity. And given their promoters’ stellar success across sports, the Steelers also aim to be athletes that shatter conventions and rewrite history.
TEAM STATS
| Seasons | Season 7 | Season 6 | Season 5 |
| Matches Played | 23 | 22 | 23 |
| Wins | 13 | 6 | 13 |
| Draws | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Losses | 9 | 14 | 6 |
| Finishing Position | 5th | 6th | 3rd |
Rakesh Kumar was named head coach of the Haryana Steelers team ahead of the seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League. Kumar, who has been part of two World Cup and three Asian gold medal winning Indian teams, is one of the country’s most decorated kabaddi players.
Kumar, who has played in five seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League, has scored 260 total points in 55 matches. He played for Patna Pirates, U Mumba and Telugu Titans during his PKL career. The 37- year-old was born in Delhi and started playing kabaddi in school in 1997. He played for Delhi in nationals before making it to the Indian senior team in 2003. Kumar was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2011.
HARYANA STEELERS – PLAYER PROFILES 2021
Name: Vikash Kandola (Captain)
Age: 23
Position: Raider
Vikash Kandola proved to be a livewire for us during VIVO Pro Kabaddi Season 7. He finished as Haryana Steelers’ leading point scorer, and 6th highest overall, with 195 points to his name. The Jind born player is known for his explosiveness, running hand touches, and agile dashes across the mat.
Kandola had 12 Super Raids and a whopping 17 Super 10s in Season 7. Our dynamic raider will only be looking to raise the bar in Season 8 of the blockbuster Kabaddi event and live up to the high expectations he has set for himself.
The 23-year-old started playing kabaddi in local tournaments. Kandola was bought by Dabang Delhi K.C in the fourth season of PKL after he played for Railways in the third Federation Cup.
Kandola, who has played for the Haryana Steelers since the fifth season, has scored 423 raid points in the Pro Kabaddi League. He has recorded 10 tackle points at a strike-rate of 22.73. He has been appointed as the Captain of the Haryana Steelers.
Name: Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsodlou
Age: 30
Position: Raider
Mohammad Esmaeil Maghsodlou made his Pro Kabaddi League debut with the Patna Pirates in the 2019 PKL season. The Iranian scored a total of 52 points in the season, which included 39 raid points and 13 tackle points at a strike-rate of 35.71.
Our raider will be certainly raring to make an even bigger impact in the eightseason of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Name: Vinay
Age: 22
Position: Raider
Vinay had a fantastic debut Pro Kabaddi League season in 2019. The youngster scored a total of 125 raid points and recorded a successful raid percentage of 54.34 in Season 7. Vinay was one of the most dependable players in the Haryana Steelers set-up last season and he will certainly look to continue his form this season.
Name: Ashish Narwal
Age: 21
Position: Raider
Ashish Narwal is eager to make the most of the opportunity of playing for the Haryana Steelers in Season 8 of Pro Kabaddi. He will be a fantastic inclusion to the raiding department.
Name: Meetu Sharma
Age: 19
Position: Raider
Meetu’s kabaddi journey started in his village watching his seniors play kabaddi. He soon started playing and quickly rose through the ranks with Haryana U-14, Junior Nationals and after successful trials in 2015, he made it to SAI. He has been training at SAI since then and has played in junior and senior Nationals. He was the top raider with the highest raid points in two consecutive Junior Nationals and helped his team win the championship on both occasions.
Name: Sawin Narwal Age: 22
Position: Raider
Vinod Kumar, one of the players from PKL, who also hails from Sawin’s hometown (Banwasa) inspired Sawin in his early days. He has risen through the ranks and is eager to perform for the Haryana Steelers. He will add a lot of exuberance to the Haryana Steelers raiding department.
Name: Rohit Gulia
Age: 23
Position: All-rounder
Rohit Gulia made his debut in the Pro Kabaddi League in the fifth season with the Gujarat Fortunegiants after being chosen through the Future Kabaddi Heroes Program. In the last three seasons with the Gujarat Fortunegiants, Gulia has shown exceptional prowess for do-or-die raids, owing to his fearless approach to raiding.
The all-rounder recorded his first 100-point campaign in Season 7 for Gujarat Fortunegiants and also finished with the second highest number of points (142) among all-rounders in the last season.
Gulia has recorded 3 Super Raids and 4 Super 10s in the Pro Kabaddi League. The 23-year-old has scored a total of 225 raid points and 16 tackle points in the league so far.
Name: Hamid Mirzaei Nader
Age: 27
Position: All-rounder
Hamid Mirzaei Nader will be playing his first Pro Kabaddi League this season with the Haryana Steelers team. Hamid was a part of the Iran team, which won the Gold Medal at the Asian Games 2018. The all-rounder also showed his extravagant skills as a defender at the Dubai Masters in 2018.
Name: Rajesh Narwal
Age: 31
Position: All-rounder
Rajesh Narwal, who is one of India’s most experienced kabaddi players, won the Pro Kabaddi League title with Jaipur Pink Panthers in the first season of the competition. The all-rounder has scored a total of 397 points, which includes 284 raid points and 113 tackle points in the PKL so far.
Rajesh Narwal’s tally of 87 points in 14 games in Season 2 of VIVO Pro Kabaddi was the second-highest by an all-rounder and he repeated this feat in Season 3 with 80 points in 14 games, finishing second behind Manjeet Chillar in term of total points by all-rounders.
Narwal also recorded the highest points as an all-rounder in Season 4 with 85 points in 16 games.
Name: Ajay Ghanghas
Age: 26
Position: All-rounder
Ajay started playing kabaddi early on in his childhood after watching his two brothers and a cousin play kabaddi. His family, especially his uncle supported and encouraged him from the beginning to make it big in kabaddi. Ajay feels he is where he is today because of his uncle.
Name: Vikas Jaglan
Age: 26
Position: All-rounder
Vikas Jaglan, who has played for the Patna Pirates in the Pro Kabaddi League in the last three seasons, will be eager to take the mat with the Haryana Steelers this season. The all-rounder has recorded a total of 43 raid points and a total of 41 tackle points in the Pro Kabaddi League so far.
Jaglan has recorded a successful raids percentage of 34.4 and a tackle strike rate of 34.78 in his PKL career. Jaglan will be certainly keen to put up an even better performance in the upcoming season.
Name: Ravi Kumar
Age: 28
Position: Defender
Ravi Kumar, aged 28, plays as a Right Cover Defender. Having made his ProKabaddi debut in the 2nd season, Ravi Kumar has racked up a total of 168 tackle points in 96 matches, including 9 High-5s. A Not out percentage of 90.69 speaks highly of his defensive abilities.
Playing for the Haryana Steelers in season 7, Ravi Kumar notched 52 points and recorded a total of 106 tackles. In the eighth season of the PKL, Ravi Kumar will be eager to bolster the defense with his experience.
Ravi Kumar started his Pro Kabaddi League career with Puneri Paltan in the second season of the tournament. He played for Bengal Warriors in the fourth season before moving back to Puneri Paltan in the fifth and sixth season. Kumar played for the Haryana Steelers for the first time in the seventh season of PKL.
Name: Surender Nada
Age: 34
Position: Defender
Surender Nada is a left-corner specialist defender with one of the most feared ankle holds in the game. He was the joint highest tackle point scorer in the inaugural season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi and instrumental in U Mumba’s title campaign in Season 2. A patient defender who can strike when least expected, Nada has even been a part of the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup winning Indian team.
Surender Nada also is one of most successful defenders in VIVO Pro Kabaddi and had the most tackle points in Season 5 (80 from 21 matches).
Nada has recorded a total of 222 tackle points at a strike-rate of 50.74 in his PKL career.
Name: Rajesh Gurjar Age: 22
Position: Defender
Rajesh Gurjar will be making his Pro Kabaddi League debut with the Haryana Steelers this season. Gurjar is eager to grab the opportunity of playing alongside many established players in the Haryana Steelers set-up and take his game to the next level.
Name: Akshay Kumar
Age: 18
Position: Defender
Akshay Kumar is looking forward to playing with some of the most experienced players in the Haryana Steelers. He has showcased a lot of talent as a defender and he will be looking to make a contribution to the team whenever he receives an opportunity.
Name: Shrikant Tewthia
Age: 29
Position: Defender
Shrikant Tewthia has featured in every season of the league. The all-rounder was a part of the Jaipur Pink Panthers squad that made it all the way to the final of VIVO Pro Kabaddi in Season 4. A utility player, Tewthia’s all-round skills are enhanced by his experience and adds stability as well as balance to the side. Skilled in Ankle Holds and Dashes, Tewthia’s tackling skills give him a particular edge in the game. He has scored 157 points in 71 matches in the Pro Kabaddi League so far.
Name: Mohit Nandal
Age: 22
Position: Defender
Mohit Nandal is an energetic youngster, ready to give his all for the Haryana Steelers this season. He has fantabulous defensive skills and he is eager to contribute to the team’s victories in Season 8.
Name: Jaideep Dahiya
Age: 19
Position: Defender
Jaideep Dahiya, who has been part of the Gold Medal-winning team at the Junior Nationals twice, will be playing as a Defender for the Haryana Steelers. Jaideep started playing Kabbadi in his hometown (Sisana) after the likes of Deepak Dahiya and Manish Dahiya, also from the same hometown, made a name for themselves in the Pro Kabaddi League.
Name: Yash
Age: 22
Position: Defender
Yash started playing kabaddi in his hometown after watching his seniors play. He soon rose through the ranks to play in inter-university, junior nationals and senior nationals. The opportunity of playing for the Haryana Steelers is a turning point in his career.
Name: Sudhakar Kadam
Age: 24
Position: Defender
Sudhakar liked playing kabaddi from a young age and to take this interest forward, he joined a club – Bramha Vishnu Mahesh Kabaddi Club in his hometown (Chikhali). After playing for his district, Sudhakar got an opportunity to play in the nationals and soon made it to the PKL from there.
