Defending champions Haryana Steelers suffered a major blow when star raider Naveen Kumar had to be carried off the Kabaddi mat on a stretcher in what is suspected to be a knee injury on his left knee. Naveen suffered injury during match 21 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) against Bengaluru Bulls on Monday, September 8.
The painful incident occurred around seven and a half minutes left in the first half, with Bengaluru leading the match 15-13. Naveen came in for a raid but collapsed after shuffling awkwardly around the right corner region. He fell on his back, screaming in pain, and even begged the defenders not to tackle him.
The game came to a standstill as medical staff rushed onto the mat. After a lengthy delay, Naveen was later stretchered off the mat in tears, leaving his teammates and coach Manpreet Singh visibly distraught on the sidelines.
Haryana struggled without their talisman and eventually lost 33-40 to Bengaluru. The Bulls rode on a brilliant show from Alireza Mirzaian, who scored his second straight Super 10, and a strong defensive performance from Deepak Sankar and skipper Yogesh. Shivam Patare and Mayank Saini top scored for steelers with 7 and 6 pooints respectively
Naveen Kumar's history with injury
Naveen Kumar's career has been plagued with injuries. He missed a large chunk of the 2021 and 2022 seasons while he was with Dabang Delhi because of persistent knee and ankle issues. He retaliated even then, becoming one of the most deadly raiders in PKL.
With 1,120 raid points in 111 games, averaging 10.09 points per match, Naveen remains one of the brightest stars the league has produced. However, his repeated knee troubles now cast a shadow over both his immediate future
