India’s Top Raider Ajay Thakur’s Phenomenal Career: Pro Kabaddi League

Ajay Thakur is a former captain of the Indian National Kabaddi Team and an Indian professional Kabaddi player. Thakur was a member of the national teams that won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 and a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. In 2019, he received the Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award.

Thakur is a Himachal Pradesh Police Service cadre member who is currently serving as the DSP of Police.

Ajay Thakur Biography

Ajay was born in a working-class home on May 1, 1986, to Chotu Ram (father) and Rajinder Kaur (mother). His father was a kabaddi coach, and one of his relatives, Rakesh, represented India in global kabaddi events, so he went to pick a career in the sport.

Ajay’s family was supportive of his career. But, his father believed that he should pursue more education and work in a decent job. At ten, he fled his home to compete in a kabaddi league. Ajay graduated from Dabhota, his hometown.

Ajay Thakur Career

Thakur is still one of the best Indian raiders to date. He competed in the Industrial National Championships on behalf of his employer, Air India. Thakur also led India to gold in 2017. He will also captain the Himachal men’s squad at the 67th Senior Nationals Kabaddi Championship 2020.

A genuine leader on the court in every respect, he not only wields huge power as a very experienced player, but he also leads the team by his performances and attempts to carry the squad. He regularly pulls his team out of tough situations on his own.

His great effort in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup final led India to victory. His main moves are the frog jump and the running hand contact. Thakur has a unique skill of frog jump, which is a visual sight as he jumps with his feet split apart, tagging defenders while airborne and landing to safety beyond the reach of the defenders.

He is a member of the Himachal Pradesh Police Service cadre and currently serves as the DSP of the police.

He breaks into the Indian national team at the age of 19.
Ajay won his first international medal at the Asian Indoor Games in 2007.
In 2014, he was part of the Indian team that won gold at the Asian Games.
Ajay was the No.1 player at the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 and played a crucial role in helping the Indian team win the cup.

Ajay Thakur Biography: Pro Kabaddi League

He was the captain of the Bengaluru Bulls in the first and second seasons of his Pro Kabaddi League career. Ajay scored 127 points and tackled points in matches during the first season of PKL.

He scored 79 raid points and one tackle point in 13 matches for the Bulls in the 2nd season.

Puneri Paltan signed him in the third season. But he did not perform well, scoring just 52 raid points and four tackle points in 14 matches.

He stayed with the Paltans for a second season, scoring 63 raid points and one tackle point in 16 games.

Ajay was signed by Tamil Thalaivas in the fifth season and became the team’s new captain, a position he holds until the end of the season.

Ajay’s finest PKL performances were in the fifth and sixth seasons, when he scored 222 and 204 points, respectively.

Because of his great ability to frog jump, he is known as the Flying Thakur.

Kabaddi World Cup 2016

He had the most raid points, and Ajay had the most total points with 68.

India was trailing Iran in the Kabaddi World Cup 2016 final. In this situation, Ajay came up with a 4-point raid to put India ahead. He was also the Man of the Tournament at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup.

Thakur finished fourth among the top raiders in Season 1 of the Pro Kabaddi League.

Ajay Thakur Biography: FAMILY

Ajay was born into a working-class family to Chotu Ram (father) and Rajinder Kaur (mother).
Chotu Ram’s father was a former DSP and kabaddi coach, and his mother is a homemaker.
Ajay’s inspiration is Rakesh, one of his cousins who represented India.