The phone call that changed Aanil Mohan’s life came while he was fast asleep. By the time he woke up, everything had transformed. U Mumba had secured his services for a record-breaking Rs 78 lakh, the highest-ever bid for a Category D player in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) history. Yet, the young all-rounder from Jasui, a modest village nestled in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district, was still coming to grips with the scale of what had just unfolded.

“At first, I couldn't believe it," Aanil recalled. "When I found out that U Mumba bought me for Rs 78 lakhs, I just couldn't believe it was real.”

In a sport traditionally dominated by Haryana and its conveyor belt of kabaddi superstars, Aanil’s rise is a refreshing narrative that transcends geography. His tryst with kabaddi began on the dusty village courts of Jasui, where raw passion and playful bouts laid the foundation for what would become an extraordinary journey.