The instant Uday Parte’s name rang out across the Pro Kabaddi Season 12 League Player Auction hall on June 1, announcing him as the second highest-priced player from Category D, a flood of emotions swept over the 23-year-old from Seoni, Madhya Pradesh.

"Nothing was going on in my mind at that time, I was just thinking, taking it all in, that's it," he recalled with humility about the life-changing moment that would see him don the Jaipur Pink Panthers jersey for the upcoming campaign.

For Uday, the journey to professional kabaddi began in the most traditional way - following in his elder brother's footsteps. "My elder brother plays Kabaddi, so from there, I went to the ground with my brother," he explained. What started as brotherly companionship on the ground would eventually evolve into a six-year journey that has now culminated in his first PKL contract.