Manjeet Chhillar is an Indian former professional kabaddi player who played for the Indian national team. He has represented various franchise Kabaddi teams including Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Tamil Thalaivas, and Dabang Delhi in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Manjeet is the only defender to have more than 375 tackle points to his name in the Pro Kabaddi League. He started serving as the assistant coach of the franchise team Telugu Titans in 2022 ahead of the ninth season of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Wiki/Biography
Manjeet Chhillar was born on Monday, 18 August 1986 (age 36 years; as of 2022) in Nizampur, Delhi, India. He hails from the Jatwara Mohalla, neighbourhood in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, the state which is well known for its kabaddi and wrestling legacy. He was initially a wrestler, but an injury to his nose saw him return to his village, where he started playing kabaddi with the kids of the village.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Weight (approx.): 82 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 44″, Waist: 34″, Biceps: 17″
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father, Jai Prakash (deceased), was a Haryana Police officer. His mother’s name is Nirmala Devi His brother’s names are Sandeep Chhillar, Ashish Chhillar, and Ashish Chhillar.
Manjeet Chhillar with his father
Manjeet Chhillar with his mother
Wife & Children
On 7 March 2015, he got married to Vinni.
Manjeet Chhillar with his wife
Religion
He follows Hindusim.
Career
Manjeet represented India’s junior kabaddi team. He has played for Railways.
International
He was a part of the Indian team that clinched the gold medal in Indoor kabaddi at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games, after beating Iran in the final. He was a part of the gold medal-winning team at 2010 Asian Games in Nansha Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China. He represented India at Beach kabaddi at the 2012 Asian Beach Games in which India won a bronze medal. He was a part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in Kabaddi at the 2014 Asian Games and 2014 Asian Indoor Games in Incheon. At the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, held in Ahmedabad, Manjeet was a part of the Indian team that won the World Cup by defeating Iran 38–29 in the final. He was also part of the team which bagged the gold in 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters Winner; India defeated Iran 44–26 in the final to clinch the inaugural edition of the tournament.
Pro Kabaddi League
In the inaugural season of Pro Kabaddi League, 2014, he captained the team Bengaluru Bulls. He scored most tackle points, 51, in the season emerging as the Star Sports Defender of the Tournament, meanwhile picking up 71 raid points.
A picture of Manjeet Chhillar playing for Bengaluru Bulls against the Puneri Paltan in Pro Kabaddi season 1
In the second season, he was again represented Bengaluru Bulls and picked up 40 tackle points and 67 raid points. In Season 3, he captained Puneri Paltan and led his team to finish at third position. In the sesaon he scored most tackle points, 61, and sost successful tackle, 56. After playing for Puneri Paltan in Season 4, he was named captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers in Season 5. In Season 6, he played for Tamil Thalaivas and scored 59 tackle points and 8 raid points. He continued playing for Tamil Thalaivas in the following season.
Manjeet Chhillar playing Jaipur Pink Panthers
He was bought by the Dabang Delhi team for Rs 20 lakh in the auction ahead Season 8. His efforts led the team to win its maiden title. In the season, he scored 52 tackle points from 24 games. He started serving as the assistant coach of the franchise team Telugu Titans in 2022 ahead of the ninth season of the Pro Kabaddi League
Controversies
Accused of Wrongfully Claiming Cash Award From Haryana Sports Ministry
In 2016, The Haryana Sports Ministry ordered a vigilance probe against kabaddi players Manjeet Chillar and Rakesh Kumar after the two allegedly presented themselves as Haryana residents to get the Rs 2 crore cash award from the state. Manjeet and Rakesh claimed the cash award at a function held in Panchkula on 11 August 2015 after submitting their applications to Jhajjar District Sports Officer, stating that they were residents of Haryana. According to Anil Vij, the state minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, it was found that the players did not have the requisite documents to prove their claim and did not attend further meetings of the inquiry committee. While Vij claimed that “Manjeet could not prove that he has stayed in Haryana for 15 years,” Manjeet pleaded his innocence saying,
All my ID proofs are of my village Jatwara near Bhadurgarh and we applied through the District Sports Officer of Jhajjar district last year. I played for Haryana even in the Inter-University Championships from 2005-2008. My father Jai Prakash died four months prior to his retirement from Haryana Police in 2012 and the then Haryana government had offered me a job also. But we did not get NOC from Railways at that time. Many Indian players who belong to their respective states have to play in the tournaments from their employers.”
Awards
Team
- Gold medal at the 2009 Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam
- Gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Nansha Gymnasium, Guangzhou, China
- Gold medals at the National Championships in 2010, 2011, and 2012
- Bronze medal at 2012 Asian Beach Games Haiyang, China
- Gold medal at 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea
- Gold medal at 2014 Asian Indoor Games in Incheon, South Korea
- Won the title at 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in Ahmedabad, India
- Gold medal at the 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters in United Arab Emirates
Individual
- Arjuna Award (2015)
Manjeet Chhillar receiving the Arjuna Award from president Pranab Mukherjee in 2015
- Most Valuable Player (2015) in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)
Facts/Trivia
- He has earned various names throughout his career like One Man Army , Angry Young Man, Mighty Manjeet, and Powerhouse.
- His father died four months prior to his retirement from Haryana Police in 2012. Following the death of his father, the Haryana government offered Manjeet a job, but he could not pursue it as he did not get NOC from Railways at that time.
- Manjeet Chhillar was one of the poster boys of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi league (PKL).
- Once Manjeet Chhillar’s brother revealed that Manjeet weighed 62 kg when the selection for the junior national team was announced. With the weight eligibility for the tournament 50 kg, Manjeet reduced 12 kg in a month to represent India’s junior kabaddi team.
- In an interview, Chhillar’s team mate Ajay Thakur revealed that Chhillar was very fashion conscious..
