Siddharth Desai is an Indian professional Kabaddi player known for being the most expensive player in the PKL season 7.
Wiki/Biography
Siddharth Desai, whose full name is Siddharth Sirish Desai and also known by the name of ‘Bahubali’, 1 was born on Thursday, December 5, 1991 (age 32 years; as of 2023) in Hundalewadi village, Chandgad taluka, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He completed his schooling at Jayprakash Vidyalay, Kini, and Shriman VP Desai Jr College, Kowad. During his childhood days, Siddharth was trained by Appa Dalvi who was a well-known coach in his village. He later went to college to complete B.Sc. in Physics and started working at Air India as a contractor. While working in Air India, kabaddi coach Ashok Sinde trained Siddharth to play for Air India at the domestic level.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Weight (approx.): 72 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42”; Waist: 32”; Biceps: 14”
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Sirish Desai. He is a farmer and has also been a kabaddi player before.
Siddharth Desai with his father
There is not much information about his mother.
Siddharth Desai with his mother
He has an elder brother named Suraj Desai who is also a professional Kabaddi player and works in the Indian Army.
A picture of Siddharth Desai’s brother Suraj Desai
Wife & Children
Siddharth Desai is unmarried.
Relationship/Affairs
Siddharth has been rumored to be dating the Kabaddi player Sayali Keripale. He made his relationship official on Instagram but later deleted the post. 2
Religion
Siddharth Desai follows Hinduism. 3
Career
Position: Raider
League: Pro Kabaddi League
Debut: Pro Kabaddi League Season 6 (2018) (U Mumba)
Coached By: Appa Dalvi, Ashok Sinde, L Srinivas Reddy
Teams Played For: U Mumba (2018), Telugu Titans
After completing his studies, Desai joined the Indian army. However, his interest in Kabaddi made him quit the army and move to Pune where he practiced kabaddi in the Satej Kabaddi club.
Siddharth during his time in the Indian Army
He then joined Air India where he got the opportunity to play with players like Ajay Thakur and Deepak Hooda.
Siddharth Desai in Air India T-Shirt
National Career
Siddharth Desai played a triumphant tournament with Maharashtra at the senior nationals in 2018 where he got a gold medal. This gold medal was significant because Maharashtra won the tournament after 10 years.
Siddharth’s Maharashtra jersey
Pro Kabaddi League
Making his debut in the 6th season of Pro Kabaddi, he was signed by U Mumba for a sum of INR 36.4 Lakh. Throughout 21 matches in that season, he scored 218 raid points and 3 tackle points.
Siddharth Desai playing for the U Mumba team
His performance in his first Pro Kabaddi League season helped him to fetch an offer of INR 1.45 Cr from Telegu Titans in the 7th season. Though he continued to showcase his raiding and tackling skills, his team finished 11th position in that season. In seasons 8 and 9, he played with Telegu Titans, accumulating notable raid and tackle points. He is coached by L Srinivas Reddy.
Siddharth Desai in Telugu Titans jersey
Achievement
- In the 6th season, he scored the fastest 50 in Pro Kabaddi League history.
- VIVO Pro Kabaddi Best Debutant (2019).
- Most raid points in a single season (seven) for Telegu Titans ever – 217.
Bike Collection
Siddharth Desai owns Royal Enfield and Pulsar.
Siddharth Desai with his bike Royal Enfield
Siddharth Desai with his bike
Car Collection
Siddharth Desai owns MG Hector and Jeep.
Siddharth Desai with his car
Tattoo
Clock & Compass Tattoo on Arm
Siddharth has a black and grey ink clock tattoo on his upper left arm. The clock tattoo also has a compass as an extra element.
Rose Tattoo near Left Wrist
The kabaddi player also has a black ink rose tattoo.
Brother’s Name on Hand
Siddharth has the Hindi word ‘Suraj’ written on his left hand in Devanagari script.
Illuminati Tattoo on Right Hand
Siddharth’s right hand is inked with an Illuminati tattoo done in black ink.
Tribal Symbol on Inner Arm
Desai also has a huge tribal symbol on his inner arm done with intricate black ink.
Salary
As of 2022, Siddharth has a salary of INR 20 lakh.
Favorites
Actor: John Abraham
Song: Ishq Tera by Guru Randhawa
Facts/Trivia
- His Brother Suraj is also an excellent Kabaddi player in Pro Kabaddi League Season 1. Suraj was selected by Jaipur Pink Panthers but the army didn’t permit him to play. In Pro Kabaddi League season 5, Suraj was selected for the Delhi team but during practice, he got injured and he had not played any matches that season. In season 7, he played with Telegu Titans in 12 matches.
Siddharth and Suraj Desai playing with Telugu Titans
- Siddharth lived in a small village where Kabaddi was a major sport. He started playing kabaddi when he was in class 1. In an interview, he said that because he was good at studies, he started playing kabaddi very late. When he told his brother about his interest in kabaddi, his brother refused and asked him to concentrate on his studies instead.
- Desai could not participate in Pro Kabaddi for a very long time because to be an NYP (New Young Player), the age should be below 22 years or would have played in nations. He did not have either of these. He then participated in Maharashtra’s 2018 senior nationals.
- In his debut, Desai was the fastest to score 50 raid points. Then he went on to score the 100 joint-fastest raid points.
- Desai became the most expensive player in the Season 7 2019 auction when Telugu Titans bid a whopping INR 1.45 Crore to get him on their team. 4
- Apart from kabaddi, Desai also enjoys playing the guitar which he plays for at least an hour every single day. He also loves to sing and has a dedicated YouTube channel where he posts covers of his favorite songs. In an interview he said,
“It helps me focus and concentrate. I sit with my guitar and play whenever I get time.”
Siddharth Desai playing guitar
- Desai is an animal lover and enjoys helping stray animals. He uses social media to inspire his fans to do the same. He also has a pet dog named Buster.
Siddharth Desai’s post about helping street dogs
Siddharth with his pet dog
- Siddharth Desai serves as a brand ambassador for Vision 11, Olymp Trade, and XLR8 Sports Nutrition.
Siddharth Desai’s post about promoting the Olymp trade
- He likes to keep fit by going to the gym with teammates and enjoys swimming in his spare time.
Siddharth Desai working out in the gym
- Siddharth Desai’s jersey number was 8 while playing with Telegu Titans.
Siddharth Desai’s T-shirt number 8
