Bengaluru, July 4 -- Growing up in the small town of Nashik, Akash Shinde had big dreams but no clear path to follow. No one from his district had ever made it to national-level kabaddi before him.

But now, the Pro Kabaddi League season 10 champion, who was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for INR 53.10 lakh during the PKL 12 Player Auction, is ready to lead a young team towards glory, according to a release from PKL.

"No one in my family played kabaddi. It was more popular in my village, but no one from my district, Nashik, had played at the national level before. That made it a real challenge. Still, I trusted my process and kept working hard," says Shinde, remembering those early days when success seemed far away.

The journey wasn't easy. ...