U Mumba captain gifts Rs 25 lakh to childhood coach as token of gratitude

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Sunil Kumar, captain of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchise U Mumba, recently honoured his childhood coach, Bhupender Malik, by presenting him with a cheque of Rs 25 lakh.

“Bhupender Mallik is my childhood guru. He introduced me to Kabaddi for the first time,” said Sunil.

Besides coaching Sunil, Mallik has been a silent architect behind the rise of many other PKL stars. What sets Malik apart is his commitment to nurturing young talent without expecting any compensation. For over two decades, he has coached players selflessly, never charging a single rupee for his training.

Initially hesitant to accept the generous token, Malik was moved by Sunil’s sincerity. The star defender, however, was insistent. For him, the gesture wasn’t about money, it was a tribute, a symbol of reverence for everything his coach had given him.

“Whatever I have achieved in PKL, it`s all because of his training,” Sunil remarked, adding that Mallik taught him not just defensive techniques but also the leadership skills that have made him one of the most formidable defenders in the league.

Sunil’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming the most expensive Indian defender in the PKL 11 Player Auction is a testament to Malik’s dedication and vision. And Sunil remains deeply aware of how far the sport has come.

“Earlier, there was nothing. Now, the money has come, the name and the fame has come to the players. The world has started to know us Kabaddi players,” he said. “I am very happy. I have given respect to my guru.”

Full squad of U Mumba

Bought: Rinku Sharma (FBM), Mohammad Ghorbani, Parvesh Bhainswal, Ravi, Abhimanyu Raghuvanshi, Sandeep Kumar, Aanil Mohan, Amarjeet

Retained: Sunil Kumar, Rohit, Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh, Satish Kannan; RYP – Mukilan Shanmugam; NYP – Ajit Chouhan, Deepak Kundu, Lokesh Ghosliya, Sunny

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