India, July 17 -- Aslam Inamdar is no stranger to knee troubles. So frequent are the injuries on his right knee that he has learnt to wryly joke about them. "I ran out of luck on the sixth instance," he said, referring to his most recent mishap.

The 25-year-old, who plays for Puneri Paltan in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), tore his meniscus last November while attempting a raid against Telugu Titans and was instantly ruled out of the season.

Aslam's absence well and truly hamstrung Paltan who slipped from their pole position to finish eighth, winning only nine of their 22 matches. For Aslam, who had captained Paltan to the title in the previous year (2023) and was also named the edition's MVP, it was a double blow.

"Being injured was ba...