Manpreet Singh is a name that carries real weight in Indian kabaddi circles, first as a hard nosed national team raider who captained Patna Pirates to their debut PKL title, and later as the tactical mastermind behind Haryana Steelers’ maiden championship as head coach. This article brings together everything currently known and verifiable about his early life, playing career, coaching journey, records, awards and personal life, all in one place, updated through the most recent PKL season.
Who is Manpreet Singh Kabaddi?
Manpreet Singh is one of the most respected names in Indian kabaddi, known both as a former national team raider and as a highly successful Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) coach. He first made headlines as the captain of Patna Pirates, leading the franchise to their maiden PKL title in Season 3. Years later, he switched sides of the mat and became a coach, eventually guiding the Haryana Steelers to their first ever PKL championship on December 29, 2024. This achievement made him the only individual in PKL history to win the title both as a playing captain and as a head coach, a rare double that few in the sport can claim.
Beyond the trophies, Manpreet Singh is admired for his sharp game sense, his ability to spot raw talent, and his emotional, animated coaching style on the sidelines, which has made him a familiar and much loved face for kabaddi fans across the country. He is also known in the kabaddi fraternity as a mentor who has personally shaped the games of several current PKL stars, something he takes as much pride in as his own trophies.
Quick Profile of Manpreet Singh Kabaddi
| Full Name | Manpreet Singh |
|---|---|
| Sport | Kabaddi |
| Playing Role | Raider and on-mat strategist (formerly) |
| Current Role | Head Coach, Haryana Steelers |
| Date of Birth | Reported by some unofficial sources as 26 January 1985; not independently confirmed |
| Native Place | Punjab, India |
| National Team Career | 2000 to 2007 (Indian kabaddi team) |
| Domestic Team (Playing Days) | ONGC (captain) |
| PKL Playing Career | Patna Pirates, Season 3 (2016), captain |
| PKL Coaching Career | Gujarat Giants (Season 5 to 6), Haryana Steelers (Season 9, since 2022, to present) |
| Major Titles | PKL Season 3 (as captain), PKL Season 11 (as coach) |
| Individual Honours | Dhyan Chand Award (2020), Mother Dairy Super Coach of Season 11 (2024) |
| Languages Spoken | Punjabi, Hindi, English |
| Nationality | Indian |
Early Life and Childhood
Manpreet Singh belongs to Punjab, a state that has produced generations of outstanding kabaddi players. Some accounts describe him as being raised in a Sikh family of modest means, where kabaddi was very much part of everyday community life. Like many young athletes from the region, he grew up watching local tournaments and picking up the fundamentals of raiding and tackling from senior players around him. Kabaddi in rural Punjab is not just a sport but a way of life, and this deeply rooted sporting culture shaped Manpreet’s earliest interest in the game.
He did not have an easy or glamorous start. Long before Pro Kabaddi brought television cameras, sponsorship deals and nationwide fame to the sport, players like Manpreet had to grind through district and state level tournaments with little recognition. He has spoken about how different those early years were, saying a player back then had to prove himself again and again over many seasons just to be noticed, unlike today where a couple of good matches on television can turn a player into a household name.
Birth, Age and Hometown
Manpreet Singh hails from Punjab, India. Some unofficial sources list his date of birth as 26 January 1985, but this has not been independently confirmed by any official or league record, so readers should treat it as unverified rather than fact. What is well documented is that he built his playing career through the late 1990s and 2000s, representing India for a full seven years starting in the year 2000.
Family Background
Manpreet Singh comes from a Punjabi background where sport was encouraged as part of everyday life, with some accounts describing his upbringing in a Sikh household. He has said that his parents were initially more focused on his studies than on kabaddi, and were not immediately in favour of him pursuing the sport seriously. Detailed information about his siblings has not been made public, and he has largely kept his family life away from media attention throughout his career.
Education and Early Interests
Before fully committing himself to competitive kabaddi, Manpreet balanced his studies with his growing passion for the sport. Accounts of his early years describe him progressing through school and district level tournaments before going on to represent Punjabi University, Patiala, at the college level, a stage that further sharpened his game and brought him to the attention of state selectors.
How Manpreet Singh Started Playing Kabaddi
Manpreet’s rise in kabaddi came through the traditional domestic pathway that most Indian kabaddi legends have followed, starting with school and district tournaments, moving up through university and state level competitions, and finally earning a spot in departmental and national squads. His consistency and physicality as a raider helped him break into the Indian national team by the year 2000, where he would go on to spend seven productive years representing the country.
Professional Kabaddi Career
Manpreet Singh’s professional journey can be divided into two clear chapters: his playing career with the Indian national team and domestic sides like ONGC, and his later career as one of PKL’s most successful and sought after coaches.
As a player, he represented India at the highest level for seven years. He was part of the Indian squad that won gold at the 2002 Asian Games and again at the 2006 Asian Games. In 2007, he was a key member of the Indian team that lifted the Kabaddi World Cup. Across his international career, he collected a total of twelve gold medals, a tally that places him among the most decorated raiders of his generation, even though much of this success came before the Pro Kabaddi League existed and television coverage of the sport was limited.
Domestically, Manpreet captained the ONGC kabaddi team, one of the strongest departmental sides in Indian kabaddi at the time, further cementing his reputation as a leader on the mat long before he ever coached a PKL franchise.
Career Timeline
| Year / Season | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Made his debut for the Indian national kabaddi team |
| 2002 | Won gold with India at the Asian Games |
| 2006 | Won gold with India at the Asian Games |
| 2007 | Part of India’s gold winning squad at the Kabaddi World Cup |
| PKL Season 3 (2016) | Captained Patna Pirates to their maiden PKL title, beating U Mumba 31-28 in the final |
| After Season 3 | Retired from professional playing and moved into coaching |
| PKL Season 5 to 6 | Head coach of Gujarat Giants, reached the final in both seasons but finished runner-up both times |
| 2022 (PKL Season 9) | Appointed head coach of Haryana Steelers |
| PKL Season 10 | Led Haryana Steelers to the final, lost to Puneri Paltan 28-25 |
| August 29, 2020 | Awarded the Dhyan Chand Award on National Sports Day, presented virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions |
| December 29, 2024 (PKL Season 11) | Led Haryana Steelers to their first ever PKL title, beating Patna Pirates 32-23 in the final; also named Mother Dairy Super Coach of the Season |
| PKL Season 12 (2025) | Continued as Haryana Steelers coach as defending champions; team endured a rocky mid-season phase, including a five match losing streak, before qualifying for the playoffs and eventually being eliminated at the play-in stage; Dabang Delhi K.C. went on to win the season 12 title |
Kabaddi Career stats
Complete raid by raid statistics from Manpreet’s playing days are not widely archived online, since most of his international career predates the PKL’s detailed digital record keeping. What is available comes from his one and only PKL season as a player, and even here different outlets report slightly different point totals, which is common for older PKL seasons.
| PKL Season | Season 3 (2016) |
|---|---|
| Team | Patna Pirates |
| Matches Played | 13 |
| Total Points (season) | Reported between 24 and 29 across different sources |
| Raid Strike Rate | Around 22 percent |
| Tackle Strike Rate | Around 38 percent |
| Performance in the Final | Managed just 1 point from 12 raid attempts, reflecting his role as an on-mat strategist rather than a primary scorer |
Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Journey
Manpreet’s PKL story began in 2016 when he was named captain of Patna Pirates for Season 3. To even qualify for the tournament’s weight category requirements, he famously shed close to 47 or 48 kilograms in about six months, a transformation that was widely covered by Pro Kabaddi’s own media channels and is still remembered by fans as one of the most remarkable fitness comebacks in the league’s history. Under his captaincy, Patna Pirates went on to defeat U Mumba 31-28 in the final to lift their first PKL title. Interestingly, Manpreet himself contributed only 1 point from 12 raids in that final, a reminder that his real value to the side was tactical rather than statistical, he described his job as knowing when to speed up or slow down the game and guiding his teammates rather than chasing points himself.
After stepping away from playing, Manpreet transitioned into coaching. He was appointed head coach of the newly formed Gujarat Giants (also referred to as Gujarat Fortunegiants) around PKL Season 5. He guided the young side to the final in consecutive seasons, first losing to Patna Pirates, the very franchise he had once captained as a player, and then to the Bengaluru Bulls in the following final.
Manpreet joined the Haryana Steelers as head coach in 2022, ahead of PKL Season 9. He took the team to the final the following season, Season 10, where they were beaten 28-25 by a dominant Puneri Paltan side. Persistence finally paid off in Season 11. In the final on December 29, 2024, Haryana Steelers led by half time at 15-12, with Shivam Patare, Vinay and Mohammadreza Shadloui all contributing, and closed out the match to win 32-23 against Patna Pirates. This victory made Manpreet the first person in PKL history to win the league title as both a playing captain and a head coach, and he was also honoured as the season’s Super Coach.
Going into PKL Season 12 in 2025 as defending champions, Manpreet’s Haryana Steelers retained their core squad and added star raider Naveen Kumar through the auction, where Mohammadreza Shadloui also became the first player to draw bids above 2 crore rupees on three separate occasions. The title defence did not go smoothly. After a loss to Bengal Warriorz in the season opener, the Steelers found some form, including a big 43-32 win over Patna Pirates, but then slipped into a difficult patch, losing five matches in a row during the Chennai leg of the season, including a heavy 29-46 defeat to Telugu Titans. Manpreet stayed publicly composed through the slump, saying a true champion side is one that fights its way out of such a situation, and the team did recover to confirm a playoff spot with a dominant 50-32 win over Gujarat Giants. Ultimately, though, Haryana Steelers were eliminated at the play-in stage of Season 12, with Dabang Delhi K.C. going on to win the title by beating Puneri Paltan in the final.
| Team | Role | Season(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patna Pirates | Captain (Player) | Season 3 | Champions (beat U Mumba 31-28) |
| Gujarat Giants | Head Coach | Season 5 | Runners-up (lost to Patna Pirates) |
| Gujarat Giants | Head Coach | Season 6 | Runners-up (lost to Bengaluru Bulls) |
| Haryana Steelers | Head Coach | Season 10 | Runners-up (lost to Puneri Paltan, 28-25) |
| Haryana Steelers | Head Coach | Season 11 | Champions (beat Patna Pirates 32-23) |
| Haryana Steelers | Head Coach | Season 12 | Eliminated at play-in stage as defending champions |
Playing Style and Strengths
As a raider, Manpreet was known for his experience, composure and tactical intelligence rather than flashy, high risk raiding. He operated more as the on-court brain of his side, someone who read defenses well, controlled the pace of the match, and made smart decisions under pressure, qualities that later translated directly into his coaching philosophy. As a coach, he is recognised for his sharp tactical acumen, his ability to build strong defensive pairings, his preparation through detailed video analysis, and his talent for identifying undervalued or overlooked players and turning them into match winners. He has repeatedly said that his teams are built around collective effort rather than a single star performer, preferring a model where several players contribute a few points each instead of relying on one match winner, an approach that worked to perfection during Haryana’s title winning Season 11 campaign, where raiders Vinay and Shivam Patare scored 164 and 158 points respectively across the season, while defender Shadloui added 82 tackle points and Rahul Sethpal contributed 73.
Major Records and Achievements
| Achievement | Detail |
|---|---|
| International Career | Represented India for seven years, 2000 to 2007 |
| Asian Games Gold | 2002 and 2006 |
| Kabaddi World Cup Gold | 2007 |
| Total International Gold Medals | 12 |
| Domestic Captaincy | Captained ONGC in domestic kabaddi |
| PKL Title as Captain | Season 3, with Patna Pirates (2016), beating U Mumba 31-28 |
| PKL Finals as Coach (Runner-up) | Season 5 and 6 with Gujarat Giants, Season 10 with Haryana Steelers |
| PKL Title as Coach | Season 11, with Haryana Steelers, beating Patna Pirates 32-23 |
| Unique Distinction | Only individual to win PKL as both captain and coach |
| Prize Money Won (Season 11) | Haryana Steelers received 3 crore rupees as champions |
Awards and Recognition
Manpreet Singh’s biggest individual honour came in 2020, when he was conferred the Dhyan Chand Award on National Sports Day, August 29, 2020. This lifetime achievement honour recognised his long and dedicated contribution to Indian kabaddi. Notably, he became only the second person from the kabaddi fraternity to receive this award, after Shamsher Singh, who had won it back in 2007. Because of the restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, the award was presented to him through a video conference ceremony rather than in person, something he has said he would have liked to receive directly from the President of India under normal circumstances.
More recently, following Haryana Steelers’ triumph in PKL Season 11, Manpreet was named the Mother Dairy Super Coach of the Season, an official league award recognising the best coaching performance of that season, adding to his growing list of individual honours alongside his team success.
| Award | Year | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Dhyan Chand Award | 2020 | Lifetime achievement in sport |
| Mother Dairy Super Coach of the Season | PKL Season 11 (2024) | Best coach of the season, awarded by the league |
Challenges and Comebacks
Manpreet’s career has not been without setbacks. His playing years came in an era when kabaddi received far less media coverage and financial reward than it does today, meaning he had to prove his worth season after season simply to stay relevant in national selection. One of the most talked about challenges of his career was physical rather than competitive, he needed to lose close to 47 to 48 kilograms within six months to meet the playing weight requirement ahead of PKL Season 3. That transformation, achieved through disciplined training and diet, is still cited as an inspiring example of dedication in Indian kabaddi circles.
As a coach too, his path to the top was far from instant. He finished as runner-up in three separate PKL finals, Season 5 and Season 6 with Gujarat Giants, and Season 10 with Haryana Steelers, before he finally broke through and lifted the title in Season 11. He has spoken candidly about how a coach must take responsibility when the team loses, calling it a thankless job that becomes deeply rewarding when it eventually pays off.
Even after winning the title, fresh challenges followed almost immediately. As defending champions in PKL Season 12, Haryana Steelers endured a difficult five match losing streak during the Chennai leg of the season, including a heavy loss to Telugu Titans. Rather than panic, Manpreet publicly backed his squad to fight back, and the team did respond with strong wins to secure a playoff berth, even though they were eventually eliminated at the play-in stage. He has also mentioned missing out on an Arjuna Award nomination early in his playing career, a disappointment he says he made peace with long before the Dhyan Chand Award arrived in 2020.
Life Beyond Kabaddi
Away from the kabaddi mat, Manpreet Singh is known within the kabaddi community as a mentor figure who has personally shaped the careers of several current PKL stars. He has described his coaching approach as refining a player’s existing skills rather than trying to change them, comparing it to a jeweller polishing a rough diamond into a finished gem. He takes particular pride in seeing players he trained go on to command big money in the PKL auction.
| Player Mentored | Outcome Under Manpreet’s Guidance |
|---|---|
| Pawan Sehrawat | Was largely unknown early in his career; after training under Manpreet he developed into one of PKL’s most prolific raiders and now ranks among the all-time top raid point scorers in the league |
| Pardeep Narwal | Mentored by Manpreet during the Patna Pirates’ Season 3 title-winning campaign, went on to become one of PKL’s biggest raiding stars and the first player to cross 1000 career points |
| Sunil Kumar | Developed into one of the league’s most formidable defenders under Manpreet at Gujarat Giants |
| Parvesh Bhainswal | Formed a highly effective defensive pairing with Sunil Kumar under Manpreet’s coaching at Gujarat |
| Chandran Ranjith (“66”) | Picked up after going unsold in an earlier auction, went on to command bids reported in the range of 60 to 70 lakh rupees in later seasons |
| Mohammadreza Shadloui | Became Most Valuable Player of PKL Season 11 while playing under Manpreet at Haryana Steelers, recording 82 tackle points, the most by any defender that season, and was later signed for over 2 crore rupees for three straight auctions |
| Sandeep Narwal, Jaideep, Rakesh | Also credited by Manpreet as players he has personally trained and refined over the years |
“I understand their game and enhance their skills, and you see the results on the mat,” Manpreet has said of his coaching approach.
Wife, Relationships and Personal Life
Manpreet Singh keeps his personal and family life largely private and has not made detailed public statements about his marital status. Given the amount of misinformation circulating online about individuals who share his name, this article does not repeat unverified claims about his spouse or children. What can be said with confidence is that he maintains a low profile off the field and prefers to let his coaching results do the talking.
Net Worth, Salary and Income Sources
Manpreet Singh has not publicly disclosed his exact net worth, and there is no officially confirmed figure available from a reliable source. Like most PKL coaches, his income is understood to come primarily from his coaching contract with his franchise, along with any earnings he received during his playing days representing India and domestic teams like ONGC. As a point of comparison, Haryana Steelers as a franchise received 3 crore rupees in prize money for winning Season 11, which reflects the scale of money now involved in the league overall, though this is team prize money and not a personal figure for Manpreet. Readers should treat any specific personal net worth figures found on unverified websites with caution, since several such figures appear to be borrowed from the profile of a different well known Indian sportsperson who shares the same name.
Lifestyle, House and Car Collection
Details about Manpreet Singh’s personal lifestyle, residence or car collection have not been shared publicly by him or verified by credible sports outlets. He is best known for maintaining a disciplined, sport focused routine centred around training and mentoring his players rather than a public facing lifestyle.
Social Media Presence
Manpreet Singh maintains a presence on social media platforms including Instagram, where he shares glimpses of his professional life, training sessions and moments from Pro Kabaddi League matches. He has also become something of an internet favourite for his animated, expressive reactions while coaching from the sidelines, clips of which regularly go viral among kabaddi fans during PKL season, including during PKL Season 12 when he was interviewed extensively around the team’s ups and downs.
Interesting Facts You May Not Know About Manpreet Singh
| Fact |
|---|
| He lost close to 47 to 48 kilograms in about six months to become eligible to play PKL Season 3. |
| He is the only individual to have won the Pro Kabaddi League title as both a captain and a coach. |
| In the PKL Season 3 final itself, he scored just 1 point from 12 raids, showing his role was tactical rather than about personal statistics. |
| He finished as a runner-up in three separate PKL finals as a coach before finally winning the title in Season 11. |
| He was only the second kabaddi personality ever to receive the Dhyan Chand Award, after Shamsher Singh in 2007. |
| He was named the Mother Dairy Super Coach of PKL Season 11 after leading Haryana Steelers to their maiden title. |
| He personally mentored Pardeep Narwal during his Patna Pirates playing days, long before Narwal became one of PKL’s biggest stars. |
| He has also mentored Pawan Sehrawat, who went on to become one of PKL’s all-time leading raid point scorers. |
| As defending champions in Season 12, his Haryana Steelers side lost five matches in a row during the Chennai leg before recovering to qualify for the playoffs. |
| His animated sideline reactions as a coach frequently go viral on social media during PKL matches. |
| He is comfortable speaking Punjabi, Hindi and English, which helps him connect with players from different regions of the country. |
FAQs
Who is Manpreet Singh in kabaddi?
Manpreet Singh is a former Indian national kabaddi player who captained Patna Pirates to the PKL Season 3 title and later became a successful coach, guiding Haryana Steelers to their first PKL title in Season 11.
Which PKL teams has Manpreet Singh been associated with?
As a player, he represented Patna Pirates in PKL Season 3. As a coach, he has worked with Gujarat Giants in Seasons 5 and 6, and with Haryana Steelers from Season 9 in 2022 onward.
What awards has Manpreet Singh won?
His most notable individual honours are the Dhyan Chand Award, received in 2020 for his lifetime contribution to Indian kabaddi, and the Mother Dairy Super Coach of the Season award, received after PKL Season 11.
Did Manpreet Singh ever play for the Indian national team?
Yes, he represented India for seven years between 2000 and 2007, winning gold at the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games and at the 2007 Kabaddi World Cup.
What makes Manpreet Singh unique in PKL history?
He is the only individual to have won the Pro Kabaddi League title both as a playing captain, with Patna Pirates in Season 3, and as a head coach, with Haryana Steelers in Season 11.
Which players has Manpreet Singh mentored as a coach?
He has played a key role in developing players such as Pardeep Narwal, Pawan Sehrawat, Sunil Kumar, Parvesh Bhainswal, Chandran Ranjith and Mohammadreza Shadloui, several of whom went on to become award winning performers in PKL.
Did Manpreet Singh win the PKL title on his first attempt as a coach?
No. He finished as runner-up three times as a coach, in Season 5 and Season 6 with Gujarat Giants and in Season 10 with Haryana Steelers, before finally winning the title in Season 11.
How did Haryana Steelers perform in PKL Season 12 under Manpreet Singh?
As defending champions, Haryana Steelers had a mixed season, including a five match losing streak, but recovered to qualify for the playoffs before being eliminated at the play-in stage. Dabang Delhi K.C. went on to win the Season 12 title.
Conclusion
Manpreet Singh’s journey from a determined young raider in Punjab to a decorated national team player, and eventually to a title winning PKL head coach, is one of the most complete success stories in modern Indian kabaddi. Few individuals in the sport can claim to have lifted the same trophy in two entirely different roles, as a captain leading from the front and as a coach guiding from the sidelines. His story is not just about medals and titles, it is also about the discipline it took to transform himself physically for one more shot at the big stage, the patience it took to lose three finals as a coach before finally winning one, and the resilience to keep backing his team even through a rocky title defence in Season 12. Along the way, he has passed on his knowledge to a new generation of kabaddi stars, from Pardeep Narwal to Pawan Sehrawat to Mohammadreza Shadloui. As Indian kabaddi continues to grow, Manpreet Singh’s name will remain firmly attached to some of the sport’s most memorable moments.