Vishal Bhardwaj
Left corner defender from Himachal Pradesh, known as the Ankle-Assassin, who won Asian Games gold with India in 2022.
Known for Ankle holds from left corner
- Team (Season 12)
- Puneri Paltan
- Position
- Defender
- Nationality
- India
- Born
- 1 January 1997
- From
- Una district, Himachal Pradesh
- Jersey
- #7
PKL career
Season by season
| Season | Team | Matches | Points | Raid | Tackle | Super 10s | High 5s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Puneri Paltan | 18 | 35 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 2 |
| 10 | Dabang Delhi K.C. | 19 | 38 | 2 | 36 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Telugu Titans | 19 | 45 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Puneri Paltan | 20 | 47 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Telugu Titans | 19 | 63 | 1 | 62 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Telugu Titans | 17 | 60 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 5 |
| 5 | Telugu Titans | 22 | 71 | 0 | 71 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Telugu Titans | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian kabaddi defender who plays in the left corner and has been a regular in the Pro Kabaddi League across eight seasons. Fans know him as the ‘Ankle-Assassin’, a nickname earned through his speciality, the ankle hold. He turned out for Puneri Paltan in Season 12 (2025) and was part of the Indian team that won gold at the 2022 Asian Games.
Early life
Vishal was born on 1 January 1997 and hails from a middle-class family in Una district, Himachal Pradesh. His mother Anju is a homemaker and he has one sister, Kanika. He was the first in his family to take up sport, and he began with basketball before switching to kabaddi. After his junior days, he was picked up by Telugu Titans in the PKL.
PKL career
Vishal made his PKL debut with Telugu Titans in Season 4, playing 2 matches for 7 points. He became a fixture in their defence over the following seasons, scoring 71 tackle points in 22 matches in Season 5, 60 points in 17 matches in Season 6 and 63 points in 19 matches in Season 7, with 5 High 5s in each of those three campaigns. He captained Telugu Titans in Season 6.
He moved to Puneri Paltan for Season 8, where he recorded 47 points in 20 matches. He returned to Telugu Titans in Season 9 for 45 points in 19 matches, then played for Dabang Delhi K.C. in Season 10, scoring 38 points in 19 matches.
Across his PKL career he has played 136 matches and scored 366 points, 359 of them from tackles, along with 23 High 5s.
Season 12
Vishal was back in Puneri Paltan colours for Season 12 in 2025. He played 18 matches and scored 35 points, all of them tackle points, with 2 High 5s. His tackle strike rate for the season was 51%.
International career
Vishal was selected for the Indian squad at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. India won the gold medal, beating Iran 33-29 in a controversial final.
Style of play
A left corner specialist, Vishal is built around the ankle hold, the skill that gave him his ‘Ankle-Assassin’ tag. His numbers reflect a pure defender: almost all of his career points have come from tackles.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Vishal Bhardwaj (kabaddi)
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