Arjun Deshwal Biography: Early Life, Age, Height, Kabaddi Career, Hobbies, Facts and Net Worth
Arjun Deshwal is one of the well-known Indian kabaddi raiders of the current generation. Born on 7 July 1999 in Basera village of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, he started his sporting journey with cricket before moving towards kabaddi. His rise from village-level kabaddi to the Pro Kabaddi League, the Indian national team and the Asian Games has been a long journey. As of September 2026, Arjun is 27 years old and remains one of India’s established raiders.
Arjun is popularly known as the “Raid Machine” because of his attacking style and regular scoring. He made his Pro Kabaddi League debut with U Mumba in Season 6 in 2018 and later became a key player for Jaipur Pink Panthers. With Jaipur, he won the PKL Season 9 title and also received the Most Valuable Player award for that season. In 2025, he moved to Tamil Thalaivas after being bought for ₹1.405 crore in the Season 12 auction.
On the international stage, Arjun has also represented India at major events. He was part of India’s gold-medal winning men’s kabaddi team at the 2022 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023, and also won gold at the 11th Asian Kabaddi Championship in 2023. He was selected in India’s men’s kabaddi squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where India’s campaign began on 21 September 2026 with a 49-24 win over hosts Japan.
Arjun Deshwal Biography
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Arjun Deshwal |
| Date of Birth | 7 July 1999 |
| Age | 27 years (as of September 2026) |
| Birthplace | Basera, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Professional Kabaddi Player |
| Position | Raider / Right Raider |
| Nickname | Raid Machine |
| Height | Around 1.8 m |
| Current PKL Team | Tamil Thalaivas |
| PKL Debut | Season 6, 2018 |
| Major International Medal | Asian Games Gold, 2022 edition |
| Asian Championship | Gold, 2023 |
| PKL MVP | Season 9 |
| Government Recognition | Appointed Deputy Superintendent of Police in Uttar Pradesh |
| Latest Major Team Event | Asian Games 2026 |
Arjun Deshwal Early Life
Arjun Deshwal was born on 7 July 1999 in Basera village of Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh. He grew up in a family and village environment where sports, especially kabaddi, were common. His father worked as a farmer, and Arjun spent his early years around village sporting activities. Although cricket was one of the sports he enjoyed as a child, kabaddi slowly became the bigger part of his life.
Interestingly, Arjun did not start his sporting life with a strong interest in kabaddi. He has spoken about playing cricket and watching older boys in his village play kabaddi. Seeing those players return from tournaments with medals and prizes caught his attention. Around the age of 14, he began training seriously under his guru Dharmendra Singh, who was also connected to his family.
The early training period was not always easy for him. Arjun has recalled that the strict nature of training once made him think about quitting kabaddi. However, his family and guru continued to support him, and he eventually became more comfortable with the sport. He started practising in the morning and evening and gradually improved his game.
As his level improved, Arjun moved through the junior and senior competition system. He played in sub-junior and junior events before reaching senior national competitions. From 2017 onwards, he began appearing in senior national competitions for Services, which became an important stage in his development.
Arjun Deshwal Education and Family Background
Public biographies have listed Arjun’s schooling at Heritage Public School in Basera, Muzaffarnagar, and his higher education at Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut. However, his kabaddi career gradually became his main focus. His progress in competitions and selection opportunities meant that professional sport took a larger place in his life.
Arjun’s family has played an important role in his sporting journey. His father is reported to be a farmer, while his mother has managed the family household. He has also been reported to have a younger brother. Arjun has spoken about the support he received from his family, including their encouragement to focus on kabaddi when his career started moving forward.
His village background has remained an important part of his story. In interviews, Arjun has talked about how there was a strong kabaddi culture in Basera and how watching senior players helped him become interested in the sport. His journey also helped bring attention to a village player who had initially played kabaddi mainly at local and domestic levels.
Arjun Deshwal’s Hobbies
Arjun Deshwal’s early sporting interest was cricket. Before becoming a serious kabaddi player, he regularly played cricket and enjoyed other sports as well. His interest in cricket is one of the most frequently mentioned details about his childhood in interviews and profile pieces.
Arjun Deshwal Domestic Kabaddi Career
Arjun’s domestic career started before his PKL success. He played age-group kabaddi before moving into senior national competitions. His performances for Services became particularly important because the team regularly competed at the highest domestic level in India.
One of the important stages of his domestic career was the 68th Senior National Men’s Kabaddi Championship. Services finished runners-up in the competition, and Arjun’s performances helped him attract attention from Pro Kabaddi franchises. He later became part of the Indian Army through the sports quota after an army trial in Roorkee.
His association with Services also helped him receive more structured training. Arjun has said that playing for Services and taking part in Inter-Services competitions gave him more opportunities to train and improve. This domestic experience played a major role before he became a regular name in the PKL.
He also won a bronze medal at the 36th National Games in 2022, adding another domestic achievement to his career. The same period became an important phase because his performances at domestic and PKL level were followed by selection for the Indian national team.
Arjun Deshwal Pro Kabaddi League Career
Arjun Deshwal entered the Pro Kabaddi League in 2018 when U Mumba bought him for ₹8 lakh at the Season 6 auction. His first season was difficult because an injury limited him to only three matches, in which he scored four raid points. Despite the slow beginning, U Mumba retained him for Season 7.
In Season 7, Arjun played 19 matches and scored more than 100 raid points. Official and major sports sources record 104 raid points in that campaign, while some contemporary reports listed 109 depending on the statistical category or source. His performances showed clear improvement from his debut season.
The major turning point came before PKL Season 8. Jaipur Pink Panthers bought Arjun for ₹96 lakh after his strong performances for Services. The amount was a major increase from his first PKL contract, and Arjun later spoke about his surprise and happiness when watching the auction with his family.
Season 8 was the start of his rise as a major PKL raider. Arjun scored 267 raid points in 22 matches and finished second on the season’s raid-points list behind Pawan Sehrawat. He also became Jaipur’s leading raider that season.
Then came the biggest season of his career. In PKL Season 9, Arjun scored 296 raid points in 24 matches, the highest total in the season. Jaipur Pink Panthers went on to win the title, and Arjun received the Most Valuable Player award for the campaign.
Season 10 was another strong campaign for Arjun. He scored 276 raid points in 23 matches, finishing joint-top in raid points with Dabang Delhi K.C.’s Ashu Malik. His average of 12 raid points per match also placed him at the top of the league’s average raid-points table.
In Season 11, Arjun continued with Jaipur Pink Panthers and finished with 227 raid points and 230 total points in 23 matches. On 5 November 2024, he became the seventh raider in PKL history to reach 1,000 raid points. He reached the landmark in his 97th match, making him the second-fastest player at that time to reach 1,000 raid points.
In the 2025 Season 12 auction, Tamil Thalaivas bought Arjun Deshwal for ₹1.405 crore. He then played 18 matches and scored 209 raid points, along with 11 Super 10s. The official PKL statistics also record his total at 209 points for the season.
Arjun Deshwal PKL Career Stats
According to current career statistics, Arjun has played 132 PKL matches, scoring 1,391 total points, including 1,383 raid points. His overall record includes 1,122 successful raids, 360 bonus points, 1,023 raid touch points, 29 Super Raids and 74 Super 10s.
| PKL Season | Team | Matches | Raid Points | Total Points |
| Season 6, 2018 | U Mumba | 3 | 4 | — |
| Season 7, 2019 | U Mumba | 19 | 104 | — |
| Season 8, 2021 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 22 | 267 | 268 |
| Season 9, 2022 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 24 | 296 | 296 |
| Season 10, 2023-24 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 23 | 276 | 278 |
| Season 11, 2024 | Jaipur Pink Panthers | 23 | 227 | 230 |
| Season 12, 2025 | Tamil Thalaivas | 18 | 209 | 209 |
| Overall | U Mumba, Jaipur, Tamil Thalaivas | 132 | 1,383 | 1,391 |
The season-wise figures are based mainly on the official Pro Kabaddi statistics, while the early Season 6 and Season 7 details are supported by player-history reports.
Arjun Deshwal International Career
Arjun Deshwal’s international career reached a major stage in 2023. Before that, he had already established himself in the PKL and domestic kabaddi circuit. His selection for India’s 14-member squad for the 11th Asian Kabaddi Championship in Busan was announced in May 2023, and the tournament was his debut in Indian colours according to Pro Kabaddi’s official report.
India won the 2023 Asian Kabaddi Championship after defeating Iran 42-32 in the final. Arjun contributed five points in the final, while India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. This gave him his first major international gold medal as an Indian senior player.
His next major international event was the Asian Games. Arjun was part of India’s men’s kabaddi team at the 2022 Asian Games, which were held in Hangzhou in 2023. India defeated Iran 33-29 in the final to win the gold medal, and the Olympic Council of Asia lists Arjun as a gold-medal winner in the men’s team event.
The Asian Games medal became one of the biggest achievements of Arjun’s international career. He was part of a squad that included players such as Pawan Sehrawat, Naveen Kumar, Aslam Inamdar and Sunil Kumar. The final against Iran was a close contest before India finished with a four-point victory.
Arjun was also selected for India’s 2026 Asian Games men’s kabaddi squad. The tournament began in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September 2026, with Arjun among India’s 12 players. India’s opening men’s match was played on 21 September against Japan, and India won 49-24.
Arjun Deshwal and Tamil Thalaivas
After several seasons with Jaipur Pink Panthers, Arjun became part of the Tamil Thalaivas setup in the 2025 PKL auction. The Chennai-based franchise paid ₹1.405 crore to sign the raider, making him one of the notable purchases of the auction.
His move to Tamil Thalaivas came after a long Jaipur spell during which he became the team’s main raider and won the Season 9 title. With Tamil Thalaivas, he remained an important attacking player and finished Season 12 with 209 raid points and 11 Super 10s.
Arjun Deshwal as a Police Officer
Arjun’s sporting achievements also brought government recognition. After India’s gold medal at the Asian Games, he was appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Uttar Pradesh Police. Reports also state that the Uttar Pradesh government announced a cash reward of ₹3 crore for the state’s Asian Games medal-winning athletes, including Arjun.
This government role is in addition to his sporting career and comes from the sports quota and recognition given to successful athletes. His earlier association with the Indian Army through the sports quota was also an important part of his journey before he moved further into professional kabaddi.
Arjun Deshwal Awards and Achievements
Arjun has collected several important medals and individual awards during his career. His biggest PKL achievement came in Season 9 when Jaipur Pink Panthers won the league title and Arjun was named the Most Valuable Player. That season also saw him finish with 296 raid points.
At the international level, his major honours include the Asian Games gold medal from the 2022 edition and the Asian Kabaddi Championship gold medal in 2023. He has also won a bronze medal at the 36th National Games in 2022.
Another major milestone came in November 2024 when he crossed 1,000 PKL raid points. He reached the mark in 97 matches and became the seventh raider in league history to enter the 1,000-point club. Later statistics show that he passed 1,300 and then 1,380 career raid points as his PKL career continued.
Arjun Deshwal Net Worth
Arjun Deshwal’s exact net worth has not been officially disclosed. Publicly available figures do, however, show several major career payments and rewards. He received ₹8 lakh from U Mumba for his Season 6 auction contract, was retained for ₹19.46 lakh in Season 7, joined Jaipur Pink Panthers for ₹96 lakh in Season 8, and was bought by Tamil Thalaivas for ₹1.405 crore in the 2025 auction.
In addition, reports state that he received a ₹3 crore reward from the Uttar Pradesh government following his Asian Games gold medal. He also holds a government position as a DSP, which provides another source of professional income. However, salary, investments, property, taxes, savings and private earnings are not fully available in public records.
Interesting Facts About Arjun Deshwal
Arjun Deshwal started with cricket before becoming serious about kabaddi. His change of sport began largely because he watched senior players from his village compete in kabaddi tournaments and saw the opportunities the sport could provide.
He made his PKL debut for U Mumba in Season 6 and scored only four raid points in three matches because of an injury. A few seasons later, the same player became the MVP of PKL Season 9 after helping Jaipur Pink Panthers win the championship.
Arjun was bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for ₹96 lakh in Season 8 after a strong domestic campaign with Services. Later, Tamil Thalaivas paid ₹1.405 crore for him in the Season 12 auction.
He crossed 1,000 PKL raid points in November 2024. He is also among the players with more than 1,300 career raid points and has recorded 74 Super 10s in the league according to current career statistics.
Arjun was part of India’s gold-medal winning team at the Asian Games and the Asian Kabaddi Championship. He was also selected for India’s men’s kabaddi team at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Arjun Deshwal’s career shows how a player can move from village kabaddi to the biggest stages of the sport through years of training and competition. He started playing cricket, picked up kabaddi seriously around the age of 14 and moved through junior and senior domestic competitions before entering the PKL. His time with Services, U Mumba and Jaipur Pink Panthers helped him build the foundation for his international career.
