Profile: Meet PKL's veteran all-rounder Preetam Chhillar

He was one of the most consistent players in the first five seasons of the league.

Preetam Chhillar has been a prominent name in the history of the Pro Kabaddi League having played the majority of the times for Bengaluru Bulls under the guidance of coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat. Preetam Chhillar first played Kabaddi when he was in class 8 from a village in Delhi called Nizampur. He was the youngest among the players who played the sport with him in his village.

Other notable names who have made it big in Kabaddi from Delhi are the Arjuna Award recipient Rakesh Kumar (the costliest player in the Pro Kabaddi League season 1 auction) and Manjeet Chhillar who until season 9 had the most tackle points in PKL history to his name and is the current assistant coach of Telugu Titans. Preetam grew up seeing Rakesh and Manjeet Chhillar play and also took guidance from them.

After graduating well from the district setup he made it to the junior national team and in 2007 he was the key member in the Delhi side which stood 3rd at the Junior State Championships held in Delhi. After performing well in the junior setup he was promoted to the senior team and was part of the Asian Championships held in Malaysia in 2009.

India won the gold medal at the Asian Championships beating Iran in the finals. En route to the finals, India beat archrivals Pakistan in the semifinals and Preetam Chhillar was an important part of the team in the cover position. Preetam was also involved in crucial tackles deciding the fate of the match. 

He represented India in many tournaments

Preetam after representing Delhi in the junior setup made a shift to Railways in the seniors. In 2012 Railways stood third after losing to Delhi in the Senior National Championships but made up for it the next year by winning the gold medal defeating a strong Services team held in Mandya, Karnataka. In 2013, Preetam was part of the Indian team which won the Bangla Bandhu Cup held in Dhaka, 2013. These two years (2012 and 2013) were important years as the Pro Kabaddi League made a grand entry in 2014 and all the scouts used to look at the performances of players at the Senior Nationals. Meanwhile, Bengaluru Bulls' scouts were also keeping the on the veteran in those days. Later he was called up for trails by Bengaluru Bulls where he impressed everyone with his all-round skills.

Preetam Chhillar was an integral part of both the 2012 and 2013 editions earning him a spot in the Pro Kabaddi League. Randhir Singh Sehrawat is considered one of the best coaches in the Kabaddi fraternity and he selected Preetam to don the cover position for Bengaluru Bulls. 

Bengaluru Bulls under the leadership of Manjeet Chhillar whom Preetam Chhillar considers one of the greatest finished inside the top 4 in the first season and narrowly missed out on the top spot in the 2nd season losing to U Mumba which was led by Anup Kumar. He has one of the most unique record in the Pro Kabaddi League history, he never missed any match during his three season at Bulls. He also won lots of awards for his performance over the years.

A back injury majorly affected his career

His next major success came when he shift sides and represented Puneri Paltan in season 4. Puneri Paltan finished season 4 on a good note reaching the top 4 and finishing third overall. But soon he came back to Bengaluru Bulls in season 5. Preetam Chhillar did not play anymore after season 5 due to a back injury he suffered at the Senior National representing Railways. The doctors advised him to take rest completely for three months and he missed out on playing the next season.

Since then he has not played Kabaddi professionally and in 2022 joined Khel Now to analyze the PKL matches in the “Bol Kabaddi Khel Kabaddi” show along with Rohit Baliyan and Mohit Chhillar.