Naveen Kumar is one of the most talented Raiders in the country. He is also the first player born in 2000 to feature in Pro Kabaddi League. Since his first appearance, the 23-year-old has smashed several records and has made a name for himself. Naveen Kumar, who plays for Dabang Delhi KC in the Pro Kabaddi League, is the fastest and youngest player to reach 500 raid points in the league’s history.
With several amazing numbers to his name, Naveen Kumar is all set to feature in the upcoming Asia Kabaddi Championships for the Indian team which will take place in Busan, South Korea, from 27th to 30th June. He will hold the key for the defending champions.
Born on 14th February 2000, Naveen Kumar is from Sultanpur, Haryana. He comes from a humble background and his father is a driver. The Indian Raider was introduced to the sport by his grandfather, a former state-level wrestler. He made heads turn during the school games, followed by Junior Nationals. He hasn’t looked back since then.
Naveen Kumar Biography
| Full name | Naveen Kumar Goyat |
| Nick Name | Naveen Express Naveen Meena Sansar |
| Date of Birth/DOB/ age | 14 February 2000 (23 Years) |
| Birth Place | Sultanpur, Haryana, India |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aquarius |
| Profession | Kabaddi Player |
| Country | INDIA |
| Father name | Sansar Singh Goyat (driver) |
| Mother name | Meena Goyat (homemaker) |
| Siblings | Sister– Sonam Goyat |
| Married | Married – 22 March 2023 |
| Spouse or Girlfriend | Meenakshi Baliyan Goyat |
| Children | |
| Education Qualification | Graduation from Kurukshetra University |
| Religion | |
| Current Residence | Sultanpur, Haryana, India |
| Nationality | INDIAN |
| Debut | |
| Teams | DABANG DELHI KC SERVICES SPORTS CONTROL BOARD AIR FORCE, DELHI |
| Current Team | DABANG DELHI KC |
| Position | LEFT-RIGHT RAIDER |
| Category | RAIDER |
Naveen Kumar Physical Statistics
| Height | in centimeters– 177 cm in meters– 1.77 m in feet & inches– 5’ 10” |
| Weight | in kilograms– 76 kg in pounds– 168 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 40 Inches – Waist: 34 Inches – Biceps: 12 Inches |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Hair Color | Black |
Naveen Kumar Profile
Naveen Kumar plays as a raider and is one of the best in the Indian team. He is known for his speed and precision. Naveen Kumar is often appreciated for his tactics. Naveen Kumar’s favourite move is running hand touch, which requires a lot of speed and skill besides high fitness levels. He also loves to execute toe touch and frog jump to keep the defenders guessing.
In an interview, Naveen Kumar said that he wants to learn more moves and is inspired by Ajay Thakur’s style of play.
In domestic teams, Naveen Kumar has been a part of the Services team. Naveen Kumar was playing in a local tournament when he grabbed the eyes of the coach. He was immediately asked to attend the trials and was selected.
Naveen Kumar has represented Dabang Delhi KC for the past few seasons now. Dabang Delhi KC picked him in the PKL 6, and since then, he has been retained by the team and rightly so. Naveen Kumar is currently the captain of the Dabang Delhi team.
Naveen Kumar began his PKL career with Dabang Delhi KC when the franchise bought him for INR 6.60 Lakhs. Since then, he has been retained by the franchise. In the 7th season, his price was INR 30 Lakhs. The PKL 8 saw him fetch INR 90 Lakhs, and in the last season, Naveen Kumar’s price increased, and he was retained for INR 1 Crore by Dabang Delhi KC. Considering his demand, his price is expected to increase in the upcoming season.
Naveen Kumar Stats
Raiding Career
| Matches Played | 86 |
| Total Raids | 1489 |
| Raid Points | 917 |
| Avg. Time on Mat (%) | 74.09 |
| Avg. Out Rate (%) | 19.16 |
| Avg. Strike Rate (%) | 65.87 |
| Effective Points | 746 |
Tackling Career
| Matches Played | 86 |
| Main Tackles | 41 |
| Tackle Points | 16 |
| Avg. Time on Mat (%) | 71.11 |
| Avg. Out Rate (%) | 73.66 |
| Avg. Strike Rate (%) | 100 |
| Avg. Success Assists (%) | 18 |
Naveen Kumar PKL Auction Price History
| Tournament | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Kabaddi Season 9 | Dabang Delhi KC | 100.00 L |
| Pro Kabaddi Season 8 | Dabang Delhi KC | 90.00 L |
| Pro Kabaddi Season 7 | Dabang Delhi KC | 30.00 L |
| Pro Kabaddi Season 6 | Dabang Delhi KC | 6.60 L |
Naveen Kumar’s Social Media Accounts
| NAVEEN MEENA SANSAR (@naveen_kumar_goyat) | |
| Wikipedia | Naveen Kumar (kabaddi) |
Some Lesser-Known Facts About Naveen Kumar
- Naveen Kumar Goyat is an Indian kabaddi player. He plays for both the Indian national Kabaddi team and Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). He is known for his fast raiding and is one of the top raiders in the league.
- His father used to work as a driver for the Haryana Roadways. He was introduced to the sport by his grandfather, who was a wrestler. He was the first person in his village to become a professional athlete. Once, in a media interview, Naveen Kumar narrated that after winning his first local kabaddi tournament, he decided to participate in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) for which he began putting on his weight.
- In 2016, the Haryana Kabaddi team selected him during the State Final warm-up matches, and he represented Sonipat to play against the Rajasthan team. Naveen Kumar played his first Junior National Kabaddi championships in 2016.
- According to him, his cousin Jyoti Goyat is a national Kabaddi player who is a part of the Khelo India Kabaddi team. Naveen Kumar once narrated in a media conversation that there were several grounds in his village where kabaddi was often played. He used to play kabaddi in school during PT classes.
- In 2018, Naveen Kumar started playing in Season 6 of the Pro Kabaddi League for Dabang Delhi and scored 177 points, helping the team get to the playoffs. In Season 7, he won the Most Valuable Player Award. The team came in second place. Naveen became known as one of the best raiders in the league, scoring 300 points in a single season. After playing two seasons of PKL, he got the nickname ‘Naveen Express’ for his fast raids. During these seasons, he also became the quickest player ever to reach 600 points in the league.
- In 2022, he participated in the Asian Games held in Iran and won a gold medal in the team. In the final, India beat Iran by 33-29 in a match.
- Naveen Kumar participated in the 13th South Asian Games. In the final match against Sri Lanka, he scored a Super 10. He then participated in the Asian Kabaddi Championships 2023 in Busan. Naveen did well in this tournament and helped India win a gold medal. He got selected for the Asian Games 2023 hosted by China.
- Reportedly, he is the first and youngest player (born in the twenty-first century) to play in the Pro Kabaddi League.
- According to him, national kabaddi champion ‘Ajay Thakur‘ is his inspiration. Once, in a media interview, he narrated his first encounter with Ajay Thakur.
- In his leisure time, he likes dancing, swimming, and travelling to distant places.
- Naveen Kumar is an avid dog lover. He has a pet dog named Jackey. He often shares pictures of his pet on social media.
