Watch: Naveen Kumar suffers knee injury, stretchered off against Bengaluru Bulls in PKL 12

Naveen Kumar was stretchered off after a painful fall; season in doubt.

Defending champions Haryana Steelers star raider Naveen Kumar picked up a suspected left knee injury in match 21 of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) against Bengaluru Bulls on Monday.

The painful incident occurred around seven and a half minutes left in the first half. At that stage, Bengaluru were leading narrowly, 15-13.

The “Naveen Express,” who had just begun to hit top form this season, 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.

Watch Naveen Kumar’s injury here-

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.

For Haryana Steelers, the loss of their star raider is a massive blow. Naveen Kumar knows how to turn matches single-handedly. In such a situation, Haryana will miss him a lot.

What is more worrying is that the injury seems to be serious and might even end his PKL 12 campaign. After Naveen got injured, Haryana lost to Bengaluru Bulls 33-40.

Injury struggles haunt Naveen Kumar again

This is not the first time Naveen Kumar has faced such a setback. His career, despite its staggering numbers, has been repeatedly haunted by injuries.

During his tenure with Dabang Delhi, he missed significant portions of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to recurring knee and ankle concerns. Even then, he fought back to establish himself as one of PKL’s most lethal raiders.

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 this season and his long-term durability as an elite raider.

The Haryana Steelers will await medical reports to assess the extent of Naveen’s latest injury, but early signs indicate a long spell on the sidelines.

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