The Pro Kabaddi League ( PKL) until now has seen intense matches and new stars emerge every season. While many have had through ups and downs, a few new faces have made an impact on the PKL with their stellar performances. One of these can be Pawan Kumar Sehrawat.
In the present, Pawan Sehrawat is among the most popular players of the PKL. He is able to shock defenders by his unique lengthy reach, and his signature running hand gestures make him an ideal opponent to take on.
At only 23 years old, Pawan is among the most successful athletes at the age of 23 in Indian Kabaddi; helped Bengaluru Bulls to their first title ever and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player of the year in 2018.
Pawan Sehrawat Biography
Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, born the 9th July 1996 in Delhi and was playing Kabaddi when he was 12 years old. “I was very healthy in my youth and it was normal for me to perform well against less athletic players on the mat for kabaddi.”
“But it wasn’t until I was in ninth grade that I started thinking of taking it seriously. Nobody in my family was a player and we never thought about it as a profession,” Pawan remembers. Pawan began playing at the school Nationals followed by his first All India University Games.
In the year 2015, Pawan was in his second year of graduating. But Randhir Singh spotted the then 18-year-old raider during his Northern Railways trials and offered him a position with the railways. The following year, the Bengaluru situated PKL franchise hired him.
Pawan Sehrawat Family
His mother, Pawan, was adamant that he focus on his education. His mother would often quote a well-known Hindi phrase: ‘Padhoge likehoge to banoge nawab’ which means that If you study, you’ll be admired. “She encouraged me to do my best in school. However, I wasn’t enjoying the process so much. In addition, I’m not a fan of being too busy. At school I played Kabaddi,” he says.
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Pawan was forced to assume responsibility when he turned 18. The plastic recycling plant of his father closed and the family was forced to live with the proceeds from the small supermarket. Pawan was later kicked out of college after he was offered an opportunity to work as an TTE for the Indian Railways due to Kabaddi. When his financial problems were past, Pawan did go and complete his undergrad at Delhi University.
Pawan Sehrawat Career
Pawan plays for an Indian Railways team. Indian Railways in senior nationals and over the past few years has been awe-inspiring to many. He was the defender at one point. It was only when he joined the Railways team that he was given the new position of raider. Pawan has impressed with his work in the role.
His performance in the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championships as along with the Federation Cup made him a highly profitable asset in the auction. In a game against Karnataka the player recorded a whopping 18 points at the Senior Nationals. He carried his impressive form through the Federation Cup as well.
Pawan Sehrawat Pro Kabaddi
Pawan began participating for his team the Bengaluru Bulls in the Pro Kabaddi League at the age of 20. In his first season with the Bulls, Pawan started 13 of 14 games and ended the season with 53 points, the Bulls top raider by points. But, in the next year, Pawan featured only ten times, scoring only 11 points.
One reason that he was not given enough opportunities was the inclusion to the roster of season 3 MVP Rohit Kumarand Deepak Kumar Dahiya. Sehrawat was pushed down the pecking order, and consequently was given fewer chances.
A brief time playing Gujarat Fortune Giants
The young Sehrawat’s talent was not to remain unnoticed. He was bought at a price of an amount of 13.8 lakhs from PKL rookie Gujarat Fortune Giants. The problem was that Sehrawat suffered a disappointing season as a result of the combination of not playing enough and not taking his chances.
“They purchased me for around 14 lakhs. I was thinking they’d paid so much, and I was unable to do anything. Perhaps, next year, nobody will even pay the amount of Rs8 Lakh to me. The majority of veteran players that were never sold. I was contemplating whether I should just quit the League and take a break before they throw me out. I am an TT on the New Delhi station, which is very close to my home So I was thinking that I could be able to concentrate on my job.”
However, life will always give second chances. This time, Bengaluru Bulls, his former team, offered him another chance.
A return and a breakthrough season for Bengaluru Bulls
Randhir Singh, the coach who saw him at Railways returned him into his home in the Southern City for Rs52.8 lakhs. “He (Randhir) reached me back after season 5 and said not to get discouraged,” Sehrawat recalls.
“He promised to return me with him to Bengaluru Bulls, and helped me regain confidence. Bengaluru purchased me for the sum of Rs 52.8 lakhs. The price was not a factor. I was trying to succeed.” Unaffected by the high price, Sehrawat showed why he received a large sum of money.
When he made his debut for the second time with the club, Sherawat scored 20 points against the Tamil Thalaivas. He then blasted through defenses using his speed and strength. Pawan Kumar played the Bengaluru Bulls to the final and achieved a record high 22 points and denied his former team the trophy.
He concluded his season with the top scores of 282 points; highest score on raids was 271 points the most successful raids 209 and most super-raids -12. Pawan was awarded the coveted Most Valuable Player, and it was a good thing he did get the award! In his post-season interview the humble Delhite confessesthat he “wanted to be the best for the team but I had no idea I could do it as effectively, or lead my team to victory or win MVP.”
The promising performances of Pawan continued the coming season as he hopes to make it in to his place in the Indian team. In the wake of captain Rohit Kumar’s slump in form, Pawan Kumar took up the responsibility while the Bulls were able to get to the playoffs. In proving he’s not one-season wonder, Sehrawat scored 360 points in just 24 games, and the feat was accomplished in record time.
In the game in the match against Haryana Steelers, Pawan broke Pradeep Narwal’s record of 34 raid points in one PKL game by scoring 39 points. In the final game against eventual winners- Bengal Warriors, the Bengal Warriors scored 29 points. This is which was the third highest score ever recorded in the history of the League. Kumar also was named an MVP for the entire season.
Frog Jump
The score was 20-23, and less than two hours into the second quarter of the game that was played between Bengaluru and Patna the raider Pawan Kumar Sehrawat stepped into the opposing team’s side to cut the deficit of his team. Patna Pirates’ corner defender Ravinder Kumar was on the lookout when he ran towards Sehrawat to attack him.
Sehrawat was rushing across the mat to try the ‘Running Hand” as well as Ravinder Kumar took advantage of the blindside of Sehrawat to position himself in the perfect position right between midline players and raiders. The odds were against Sehrawat in this particular scenario. He was unable to get around the defensive player as his route was blocked. The possibilities for a successful escape dull.
It could be that he has to leap over the defense however that could not be possible. Pawan was able to leap over Kumar and was able to get on his feet after which he posed in front of the camera. The home crowd went berserk.
Pawan Sehrawat Awards & Achievements
- Gold at South Asian Games 2019
- PKL Champions 2018
- The MVP of the PKL season the 2018 season
- Sehrawat is the record holder for scoring the most points scored in one match with 39.
- Sehrawat was the only player to post 300-raid points in the year 2019
- The 22 points scored by Sehrawat in the finals in 2018 are the highest of any player to reach an event final.
- He was the best runner and Best Allrounder in two consecutive seasons- in 2018 and 2019.
Unknown Facts
- Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, born in New Delhi raised in New Delhi
- Pawan Kumar began his career playing for his club the Railways with the Railways Domestic. He been a part of PKL Franchises Bengaluru Bulls and Gujarat Fortune Giants.
- Pawan Kumar was also a part of India in the 2019 South Asian Games. He played an important role in the finals , in which India came out on top of Sri Lanka to win the gold.
- Sehrawat the cricket enthusiast, says AB de Villiers is his source of motivation. He added: “I have followed cricket for quite a while. I am a massive lover of AB de Villiers. The man has been an source of inspiration and that is why I chose my jersey number. 17 just as he does”. He also said, “I want my raiding style to mimic De Villiers the way he bats. Like how he takes any type of shot at long-on, longer-off, cut, or hook I’d like to score points by using various raiding techniques like bonus jump and stretch, etc.”
- Like many raiders, Pawan is also known for his signature move. It’s called the “running hand”. The move is an unexpected twist and is coupled with an abrupt acceleration. He swoops toward the defender and extends his whole body for an immediate contact with his hand prior to returning to his safety.
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