NEWS
Rahul Chaudhari is an Indian raider and is often called as the “Raid Machine” for his consistent raiding performances in the Pro-Kabaddi League.
Also known as the ‘Showman’, Chaudhari is counted among the most fleet-footed raiders of the game. Having started out as a defender, he went on to make his mark in the game as a raider.
Featuring in the PKL ever since its inception, Rahul was with the Telugu Titans for six years, before shifting base to Tamil Thalaivas.
But life was not as shining as it is today for this 26-year-old. From his overweight issues to moving out alone to a new city despite opposition from his family, Rahul Chaudhari has truly seen it all. But his passion, determination and hard work have made him the man he is today!
Let’s get to know more about Rahul Chaudhari and his fight with life…
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Rahul CHaudhari |
| Age | 26 years (as of 2019) |
| Sport Category | Kabaddi |
| Date of Birth | 16 June 1993 |
| Height | 6 ft |
| Weight | 80 kg |
| Ranking | Jalalpur Choiya, Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh |
| Parent | Rampal Singh |
| Playing Position | Raider |
| Signature Move | Running Hand Touch |
Rahul Chaudhari was born in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district on 16th June 1993. From childhood itself, Chaudhari had a propensity for Kabaddi. However, a major challenge that a young Chaudhari faced in childhood was being overweight. It may be a bit difficult to imagine that one of the most nimble and quick kabaddi players was once obese too.
The reason for – a habit of eating unhealthy food. It was so severe that, when his parents took him to a doctor, he straightaway declared that Chaudhari would live no longer considering his unusual weight.
Since that time, his parents provided special attention on how ways to cut down his fat intake. His dairy products intake was increased, and he was fed pure protein. Moreover, special attention was paid towards Rahul’s fitness. Probably, that may just be the reason why Chaudhari is considered as one of the fittest athletes apart from being quick and agile.
Soon, Rahul started to develop a fondness. In fact, he had started to play the sport in school when he was just 13-years-old. Even after schools, he would straight away go to play the sport, without even having lunch.
However, his parents failed to recognize his passion and talent for Kabaddi. In an interview, Rahul disclosed how, initially, his parents would scold him to stop ruining his life and “focus on studies.” He would also get beaten occasionally.
By now, Rahul realised no matter how much talent he possessed, he would have more difficulties in manoeuvring life than raiding. Nevertheless, a determined Rahul had made up his mind that he wanted to pursue a career in professional kabaddi. He held on with his dream of one day playing for the national team.
In 2007, Rahul secretly attended the trial that was held by Sports Authority of India (SAI). His belief in himself and his hard work came through. Chaudary was selected in the trials and was also offered a place in the training camp in Gandhinagar.
Despite opposition from his family, especially his father, Rahul packed his bags and headed to Gujarat. In the days to come, this turned out a big decision for him. The 15-year-old boy learned the essential basics of the game. Soon, Rahul was a wanted young lad!! The Indian Army offered him a role.
However, a perplexed Rahul decided the move would be against his best interests. He felt it was not only too early for him to take the leap but also he would not get enough time to practice Kabaddi.
With one opportunity gone, another knocked on his door. Rahul received an opportunity to play for Air India. This time, however, Rahul grabbed his opportunity.
Renowned coach Uday Kumar first noticed Rahul Chaudhari’s exceptional talent on turf. The latter eventually went on to coach Telugu Titans, where he recruited the UP player. The rest is history.
In the first season of the newly formed Pro-Kabaddi League, he was successful in picking up 161 points from 14 games. That statistic was enough to sky-rocket Chaudhari’s stock in India’s kabaddi circles.
In that season, he was ranked second in the raiding charts, behind only to U Mumba’s captain Anup Kumar. He proved he was not a flash in the pan by again ranking in second in the following season as well.
Rahul Chaudhari reached his peak performance in PKL season IV 2016 when he became the first PKL player to score 400 raid points, a testament of his consistency. In that season, he had scored 146 points in 16 games, 15 points clear of Pardeep Narwal.
Rahul holds the record of scoring the highest raid points till date in the history of PKL. He has amassed 791 points from 89 matches, taking him 37 points above the next contender Pardeep Narwal (754 from 75 matches)
After 6 seasons with the Telegu Titans, Telugu Titans, Rahul Chaudhari was picked up by southern rivals Tamil Talavias for Rs 94 lakhs. Chaudhari was the only light in a disappointing season for the Thalaivas. They finished last with just 37 points in 22 games. Personally, Chaudhari had a decent season.
He earned 138 points in 22 games with 79.79% not-outs. While attacking, Rahul made 325 raids, of which 40 were successful. He finished the season with four super raids and four super 10s. However, he had his worst PKL average raid points per game 5.9.
Rahul became the Indian senior team’s captain at the Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand in 2014. In the competition, he led the side to gold at the prestigious competition.
In 2015, he followed that up by clinching the Senior Nationals Kabaddi Championships gold for his state Uttar Pradesh. Rahul also went on to play for India at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. India won a gold at the competition.
He was also a part of the Indian contingent that brought gold at the 2016 South Asian Games, 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championships and the 2018 Kabaddi Masters Dubai.
Rahul Chaudhari was born on 16th June 1993 in the city of Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. Rahul’s father, Rampal Singh, was strictly against his son’s decision of playing kabaddi. In his earlier days, Chaudhari did not receive much support from his family.
He used to get scolded for playing after school and skipping meals. In fact, in an interview, he had confessed that he used to sometimes get hit. “That time no one supported me. My parents used to scold me.”, he says. “They used to say, ‘Why are you ruining your life, focus on studies it will help you in future.’ Sometimes I even used to get beaten by them.”
However, once he got his first job at Air India, both of his parents became happy about how his career turnout. Rahul also has an elder brother named Rohit Kumar.
On 14 December 2019, Rahul Chaudhari got engaged to commercial pilot Hetali Brahmbhatt. Hetali was born in Ahmedabad. The duo met in a PKL match in Ahmedabad in August 2019 via a common friend.
Credits: Instagram
Hetali herself has been a kabaddi fan. In fact, she has played the sport while she was in school. The union between the two had to weather some storm before they could live together. Hetali’s mother, Jayshree, was sceptical of the relationship. However, the simplicity of Rahul’s family won her over.
Recent Post
