Pawan Sehrawat

Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, known to fans as the “Hi-Flyer”, is one of the best-known names in the Pro Kabaddi League. Listed as an all-rounder, he made his name as a raider, and his 1,340 career raid points place him third on the league’s all-time list. He won the PKL title and the Most Valuable Player award with Bengaluru Bulls in Season 6, captained India to Asian Games gold and received the Arjuna Award in 2023.

Early life

Pawan was born on 9 July 1996 in Delhi and grew up in Bawana. His family, which struggled financially after his father’s business shut down, at first wanted him to focus on studies. He trained under coach Shiv Kumar in Kheda village, sometimes waking at 3 AM to cycle there, and played at school Nationals and university level before Bengaluru Bulls coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat spotted him at Northern Railways trials.

PKL career

Pawan began with Bengaluru Bulls in Season 3, scoring 53 points in 13 matches and finishing as the team’s leading raid scorer. After a quiet Season 4 and a spell as an impact raider off the bench for Gujarat Giants in Season 5, he returned to the Bulls and broke through.

In Season 6 he scored 282 points with 13 Super 10s, then 22 raid points in the final against Gujarat Giants as the Bulls won their maiden title, and he was named MVP. Season 7 brought 360 points and 18 Super 10s, including 39 raid points against Haryana Steelers, the most by any raider in a single PKL match. He followed it with 320 points in Season 8.

Tamil Thalaivas signed him for a then record ₹2.26 crore for Season 9, but a knee injury in the opening match against Gujarat Giants ended his season. Telugu Titans picked him up at auction for Season 10, when he scored 217 points in 21 matches, and he added 134 points in 13 matches in Season 11. He returned to Tamil Thalaivas for Season 12, scoring 22 points in three matches with a raid strike rate of 46%. Moneycontrol reported that he was later released by the side for disciplinary reasons.

Across 10 seasons he has 1,410 points from 142 matches, with 70 Super 10s and two High 5s.

International career

Pawan won gold with India at the 2019 South Asian Games and led the team to the 2023 Asian Kabaddi Championship title. He captained India to gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where they beat Iran 33-29 in the final. Ahead of the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, he was named India’s male flag-bearer for the opening ceremony alongside shooter Manu Bhaker, stepping in for shot-putter Tajinderpal Singh Toor. He described carrying the flag as a moment of “immense pride”.

Statistics and team history: Pro Kabaddi League.