Road to Recovery - The Maninder Singh Story

Kabaddi is a contact sport in the truest sense of the term. With players taking on the extremely physical nature of the sport, it has its fair share of injuries too. The players are prone to injuries and while the physical injuries show, it is the mental trauma that they learn to bounce back again from.

Injuries in Kabaddi are not just harmful to the players’ bodies, but also to their confidence and spirit. That is why recovery is important. The only way to a faster recovery is giving your body enough rest before it is match ready. This time may last from 3 days to 3 months, depending on the injury, and while the rest period is of utmost importance to a player’s physical recovery, it sometimes tends to test a player’s mental strength. For Maninder Singh recovery was all about introspection and giving himself the hope of a new beginning.

In Season 7 of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League, Maninder Singh of Bengal Warriors got injured while playing against U Mumba in the semi-final clash, losing out on the historical match where his team defeated Dabang Delhi K.C. to clinch the PKL Trophy. It was not easy to be on the sidelines especially with the kind of form he was in, but that is what was necessary not just for him, but also for the team.

“When I got injured during the semi-final match, I was heartbroken. I tried to control my frustration and anger. The doctors told me that I'd be missing the final. This news left me shattered because vivo Pro Kabaddi is such a huge tournament, and I was leading the side, so I wanted to perform well in the finals,” Maninder said. But even when chips were down, he looked at the positives and decided to focus on how his team won even with him on the sidelines. Speaking on that prolific win, the raider said “When Bengal Warriors lifted the trophy, I was really happy, and I forgot about my injury in that moment. We worked really hard for that title, and all the hard work paid off in that final.”

While it is important to be patient with injuries and not take a load on the injured muscles. It is equally important to not let it take a toll on your mind and stay positive. For Maninder while this injury was a setback, it was also his chance to come back stronger. “Life has given me another opportunity to show what I've got. Having recovered from my injury, I am ready to put up a show on the mat whenever I get my next chance.”

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