Rahul Chaudhari Biography: Age, Kabaddi Career, Facts, Family and more

Rahul Chaudhari, born on June 16, 1993, is an Indian Kabaddi athlete renowned for his transition from a defender to an exceptional raider. Also known as the ‘Showman’, Chaudhari is counted among the most fleet-footed raiders of the game. Having started as a defender, he went on to make his mark in the game as a raider.

Featuring in the PKL ever since its inception, Rahul was with the Telugu Titans for six years, before shifting base to Tamil Thalaivas. But life was not as shining as it is today for this 30-year-old. From his overweight issues to moving out alone to a new city despite opposition from his family, Rahul Chaudhari has truly seen it all. But his passion, determination and hard work have made him the man he is today! Let’s get to know more about Rahul Chaudhari and his fight with life…

Rahul Chaudhari Biography

Rahul Chaudhari was born on 16th June 1993 in the city of Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. Rahul’s father, Rampal Singh, was strictly against his son’s decision to play kabaddi. In his earlier days, Chaudhari did not receive much support from his family. He used to get scolded for playing after school and skipping meals. In fact, in an interview, he confessed that he used to sometimes get hit. “That time no one supported me. My parents used to scold me.”, he says. “They used to say, ‘Why are you ruining your life, focus on your studies it will help you in future.’ Sometimes I even used to get beaten by them.”However, once he got his first job at Air India, both of his parents became happy about how his career turned out. Rahul also has an elder brother named Rohit Kumar. On 14 December 2019, Rahul Chaudhari got engaged to commercial pilot Hetali Brahmbhatt. Hetali was born in Ahmedabad. The duo met in a PKL match in Ahmedabad in August 2019 via a common friend.

Rahul Chaudhari Physical Statistics

Rahul Chaudhari Profile

In 2007, Rahul secretly attended the trial that was held by Sports Authority of India (SAI). His belief in himself and his hard work came through. Chaudary was selected in the trials and was also offered a place in the training camp in Gandhinagar.

Despite opposition from his family, especially his father, Rahul packed his bags and headed to Gujarat. In the days to come, this turned out a big decision for him. The 15-year-old boy learned the essential basics of the game. Soon, Rahul was a wanted young lad!! The Indian Army offered him a role.

However, a perplexed Rahul decided the move would be against his best interests. He felt it was not only too early for him to leap but also he would not get enough time to practice Kabaddi.

With one opportunity gone, another knocked on his door. Rahul received an opportunity to play for Air India. This time, however, Rahul grabbed his opportunity.

Rahul Chaudhari Pro Kabaddi

Renowned coach Uday Kumar first noticed Rahul Chaudhari’s exceptional talent on turf. The latter eventually went on to coach Telugu Titans, where he recruited the UP player. The rest is history.

In the first season of the newly formed Pro-Kabaddi League, he was successful in picking up 161 points from 14 games. That statistic was enough to sky-rocket Chaudhari’s stock in India’s kabaddi circles.

In that season, he was ranked second in the raiding charts, behind only U Mumba’s captain Anup Kumar. He proved he was not a flash in the pan by again ranking second in the following season as well.

Rahul Chaudhari reached his peak performance in PKL season IV 2016 when he became the first PKL player to score 400 raid points, a testament to his consistency. In that season, he had scored 146 points in 16 games, 15 points clear of Pardeep Narwal.

Rahul holds the record of scoring the highest raid points to date in the history of PKL. He has amassed 791 points from 89 matches, taking him 37 points above the next contender Pardeep Narwal (754 from 75 matches)

PKL 7

After 6 seasons with the Telugu Titans, and Telugu Titans, Rahul Chaudhari was picked up by southern rivals Tamil Talavias for Rs 94 lakhs. Chaudhari was the only light in a disappointing season for the Thalaivas. They finished last with just 37 points in 22 games. Personally, Chaudhari had a decent season.

He earned 138 points in 22 games with 79.79% not-outs. While attacking, Rahul made 325 raids, of which 40 were successful. He finished the season with four Super Raids and four Super 10s. However, he had his worst PKL average raid points per game 5.9.

Rahul Chaudhari Indian National Kabaddi Team

Rahul became the Indian senior team’s captain at the Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand in 2014. In the competition, he led the side to gold at the prestigious competition.

In 2015, he followed that up by clinching the Senior Nationals Kabaddi Championships gold for his state Uttar Pradesh. Rahul also went on to play for India at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. India won gold in the competition.

He was also a part of the Indian contingent that brought gold at the 2016 South Asian Games, the 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championships and the 2018 Kabaddi Masters Dubai.

Rahul Chaudhari Awards & Achievements

• 2014 Asian Beach Games, Phuket Gold
• Laxman Award by the Uttar Pradesh Government in 2017.
• 2015 Senior Nationals Kabaddi Championships for UP Gold
• 2016 Kabaddi World Cup Gold
• 2016 South Asian Games Gold
• 2017 Asian Kabaddi Championships Gold
• 2018 Kabaddi Masters Dubai Gold
• 2nd most-successful raider during the 2014 Pro Kabaddi League (season 1)
• Most Succesful raider during the 2016 Pro Kabaddi League (season 4)
• Player of the series during the 2016 Pro Kabaddi League (season 4)
• Rahul Chaudhari is the second most successful raider in the Pro Kabaddi League. He has made 788 successful raids in 122 matches, making him the player with the highest points in the tournament.
• The player with the Highest Super 10’s for PKL Season 2
• Most successful raider in the PKL Season 4 with 146 points.
• In the fifth season of PKL, he was appointed as captain of Telugu Titan. In that season, he crossed the milestone of 700 points.

Rahul Chaudhari’s Social Media Accounts

Some Lesser-Known Facts About Rahul Chaudhari

• As a kid, Rahul was obese. It was so severe that, when his parents took him to a doctor, he straightaway declared that Chaudhari would live no longer considering his unusual weight.
• Rahul Chaudhari has been featured in various music videos like “Dil Mera Dil” ‘A Broken Heart Story’. He has also appeared on Roadies and the Kapil Sharma show.
• The 30-year-old was not a fan of playing Kabaddi in the start. He got attracted to the game after seeing his elder brother play it.
• Chaudhari started out as a defender.
• Does Rahul Chaudhari smoke?: Not Known
• Does Rahul Chaudhari drink alcohol?: Not Known
• He was born in Bijnore, Uttar Pradesh and is known as the Poster Boy of Indian Kabaddi.
• In 2006, he started playing Kabaddi when he was just 13 years old.
• In an interview, he revealed that his family didn’t support him for playing Kabaddi and even his parents used to beat him for playing Kabaddi.
• He was selected by the Telugu Titans for the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and is also the Captain of Telugu Titans.
• With 146 raid points, he was adjudged the Best Raider of Season 4.
• In 2014, he captained the National Kabaddi Team of India during the Beach Asian Games in Phuket, Thailand.
• He has also played for the National Kabaddi Team of India at the 2016 South Asian Games.
• In 2016, he was selected to represent Indian Team for the Kabaddi World Cup.