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Ajay Thakur, the former captain of India, has shared his thoughts regarding the way kabaddi players should balance their professional and personal lives. Although the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has greatly boosted the earnings of kabaddi players, according to Thakur, the game still needs time to develop renowned clubs like football.

Three months of the year are dedicated to the Pro Kabaddi League. Mashal Sports, the PKL’s organizer, boosted the signing bonus to 5 crore per side for the coming year, yet some players must still hold down a second job.

Ajay Thakur expressed his opinions on whether players can give kabaddi their complete attention in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. He said, “Even now all of us (players) work other jobs and in the meantime, try to keep ourselves fit by taking out time. It is very challenging. It will be a long time before we have clubs like football. Any player can comfortably play till 40-45 years. All you need for this is consistent practice and rest.”

Deputy Superintendent of Police in Himachal Pradesh, Thakur formerly played for four different franchises in the Pro Kabaddi League. To further illustrate how having a second job affects kabaddi practice sessions, Thakur used his own example. He said, “I work a 10 to 5 job and sometimes have to go to work at night. This makes a big difference in performance. Right now players are in great need of jobs and along with kabaddi, attention has to be paid to this as well. There will come a time when we will not need it. When we get a 10-year contract from the club, only then the player can only think about kabaddi.”

The Pro Kabaddi 2023 Auction is scheduled to take place on the September 8 and 9. Following the increase in purse value, it will be fascinating to see if any fresh records are established at the auction. The teams are focused on the auctions, and fans seem eager to find out where the players will end up during the auctions.