Sukesh Hegde is an Indian professional kabaddi player who has played for Kabaddi teams like Telugu Titans, Gujrat Giants, Tamil Thalaivas, Bengal Warriors, and Patna Pirates.
Wiki/Biography
Sukesh Hegde was born on Monday, October 2, 1989 (34 years old; as of 2023) in Karkal taluka, Kadthala village, Karnataka, India. His zodiac sign is Libra. He completed his graduation from Alva’s College, Moodbidri. Sukesh started his kabaddi journey when he was in primary school in his own village. First, he joined the school athletic team and later went on to join the Kabaddi team.
An old picture of Sukesh Hegde in his late teens
Physical Appearance
1 Height: 5′ 11″
Weight (approx.): 82 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42”; Waist: 34”; Biceps: 15”
Family
He belongs to a Kannada family.
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents or siblings.
Sukesh Hegde’s mother
Wife & Children
Sukesh Hegde got married to Krithika Hegde, an electronics and computer engineer, on 25 April 2022.
Sukesh and his wife on their wedding day
Religion
Sukesh Hegde follows Hinduism. 2
Sukesh Hegde with his teammates in a temple
Career
Position: Left Raider
League: Pro Kabbadi League
Debut: Senior Nationals (Karnataka, 2013), Telugu Titans (2014)
Coached By: BC Ramesh, Coach Mahesh (Gujarat Giants)
Teams Played For: Patna Pirates ( 2022), Bengal Warriors (2021 – 2019), Tamil Thalaivas (2018), Gujrat Giants (2017), Telugu Titans (2014 -2016).
International Career
Sukesh Hegde was part of the Indian team that won gold at the 12th South Asian Games 2016 held in Guwahati and Shillong, India.
Sukesh Hegde with his teammate in the 2016 South Asian Games
National Career
Sukesh Hegde started playing for the Karnataka team in 2013 and played for 8 years with them. He made his national debut in 2013. In 2014, he joined the Indian camp to train for Pro Kabaddi League. He was also a part of the national team that won the bronze medal at the 65th Senior National Kabaddi Championship 2017.
Sukesh Hegde’s post about winning the 65th Senior Nation Kabaddi Championship
Pro Kabaddi League
In the inaugural Pro Kabaddi League season in 2014, Sukesh Hegde was picked by Telugu Titans and had a remarkable performance scoring his highest raid score ever in Pro Kabaddi League with 79 raid points and 4 tackle points in 14 matches with 3 Super Raids. He was retained with the Telugu Titans team for the next four Pro Kabaddi League seasons. In 2nd season, he scored 62 raid points and 2 tackle points in 13 matches with 5 Super Raids. His lowest performance came in the 4th Pro Kabaddi League season. He scored a total of just 7 raid points in 9 matches.
Sukesh Hegde in Telugu Titans uniform
In the 5th season, he was released by Telugu Titans and was signed by Gujarat Fortune Giants in 2017 as a captain. He had an unbelievable season with the Giants scoring 75 raid points and 2 tackle points in 18 matches. Sukesh was bided by Tamil Thalaivas in the 6th season in 2018 and scored 78 raid points and 3 tackle points in 16 matches.
Sukesh Hegde playing from the Tamil Thalaivas team
For the 7th season (2019), he was signed by Bengal Warriors and scored a total of 63 points in 16 matches throughout the season. In season 8, while playing with Bengal Warriors, he scored 58 total raid points and 2 super raids in 15 matches.
Sukesh Hegde in Bengal Warrior uniform
He was picked by Patna Pirates in the 9th season and played a single match.
Playing Statistics
Raiding
- Matches Played: 135
- Total Raids: 726
- Raid Points: 226
- Avg. Time on Mat (%): 49.83
- Avg. Out Rate (%): 29.95
- Avg. Strike Rate (%): 40.61
- Effective Points: 75
Tackling
- Matches Played: 135
- Main Tackles: 746
- Tackle Points: 379
- Avg. Time on Mat (%): 52.57
- Avg. Out Rate (%): 51.28
- Avg. Strike Rate (%): 53.63
- Avg. Success Assists (%): 44
Awards, Honours & Achievements
Award
- Karnataka State Ekalavya Award
Sukesh Hegde presented with the Ekalavaya Award
Honours
- Honoured by Karnataka Government in Karkala Ustava 2022.
Achievements
- Pro Kabaddi League title (2019) – Bengal Warriors.
Medals
- South Asian Games 2016 (Gold)
Car Collection
Sukesh Hegde owns Maruti Suzuki Brezza.
Sukesh Hegde posing with his car
Salary
As of 2021, Sukesh Hegde was auctioned for INR 30 Lakhs. 3
Favourites
Kabaddi Player: Sanjeev Kumar Baliyan
Actor: Aamir Khan
PKL Game: Season 7 semi-finals and finals
Number: 07
Facts/Trivia
- Besides playing for the kabaddi team, Sukesh Hegde works at the Bank of Baroda as an employee. 4
Sukesh Hegde with his colleagues at Bank of Baroda
- The Kabaddi player revealed in an interview that in the southern part of the country, Kabaddi was not very popular. There were no academies or training centers in the rural areas and bigger cities like Bangalore were too far away to get any professional assistance. However, since the admission of a few South Indian players in the Pro Kabaddi League, the interest in kabaddi has risen among the youth.
- Sukesh used to practice thrice a day to be better in the sport when he was in university. He also revealed that his seniors were stronger and better players and would not let their junior have a chance to play. However, he was determined enough and played with the juniors for three to four hours a day.
- Sukesh considers Manjeet Chillar as the toughest defender that he has played against in PKL. 5
- The raider once revealed that his worst moment was in season 5 when he was playing the finals for Gujarat Fortune Giants against Patna Pirates. After playing for two to three raids, the coach benched him which made him quite upset. 6
- After his kabaddi career as a player, Sukesh says that he would like to become a coach and motivate the youth of India to play Kabaddi. 7
- During a conversation, Sukesh said that given a chance he would make a Dream Team with Fazel and Ravinder Pahal in both corners, along with Sunil, Parvesh, and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh.
- Sukesh’s wife, Krithika also went to the same college as Sukesh- Alva’s College, Moodbidri.
- The raider can speak three languages- Kannada, English, and Hindi fluently.
- Sukesh Hegde’s hobbies include painting and photography which helps him to stay calm and relaxed.
A picture of Sukesh Hegde painting
- He has a fondness for dogs and is the owner of a Husky.
A picture of Sukesh Hegde with his pet dog
- He likes to swim and work out in the gym. To keep himself mentally strong, he also does yoga.
Sukesh performing a yoga asana
Sukesh Hegde working out in the gym
- Besides going to the gym, Sukesh also follows a good diet which he believes is the cornerstone for great health and a long career. He avoids food that is fried and loaded with carbs.
