PKL 2018 | Anup Kumar announces retirement from Kabaddi
Announcing his retirement, Anup Kumar has stated that the thing he will miss the most is the audience chanting his name from the stands. After being a part of the U Mumba for five seasons, Anup Kumar was picked by the Jaipur Pink Panthers at the auctions for the sixth season of the PKL.
2016 Kabaddi World
“I, Anup Kumar announce my retirement from the Pro Kabaddi. I would like to thank Ronnie sir, Abhishek sir, and all the stakeholders who actively promoted the sport and pushed it to the heights of glory and also helped us get the recognition and love from the fans. I will also extremely miss the audience chanting my name from the stands,” Anup said in a video released on Twitter.
An inspiration to a whole generation of Kabaddi Fans coming of age, Anup was awarded the Arjuna Award in the year 2012 by the Government of India for his contribution to the sport of Kabaddi. Also known as “Captain Cool”, Kumar had led the U Mumba franchise to their first Pro Kabaddi League title in the second season of the tournament after losing the final a year ago.
“I realized that it is the right time to let the younger generation take over. I promise my fans that I will never leave this game and will do something for the game of Kabaddi which will take this sport closer to the audience.
Kumar was also part of the Indian team which won the Gold medal at the 2016 South Asian Games held in Guwahati & Shillong. The Bonus Ka Badshah also advised his fans to keep following and encouraging the sport of kabaddi.
“Today December 19 is my son’s birthday, hence I chose to announce my retirement on this day. I thank my family for their support and standing with me throughout my journey. And helped me make my country proud. I also thank my fans who showered their love on me and because of whom I managed to play this long and grow in my career.”
“I also want to say to my fans that don’t limit the game to one player like Anup or someone else rather support Kabaddi and push the sport to its highest potential. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,” he concluded.
