Injured Sushil out of PWL-3?

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 12

Doubts have emerged about two-time Olympics medallist Sushil Kumar’s participation in the Pro Wrestling League.

Citing a knee injury, Delhi Sultans captain Sushil sat out in the match against Haryana Hammers on Friday. “I will not play today,” Sushil told The Tribune before the start of the tie.

“I sustained the knee injury during my match against Jitender. The injury flared up during practice, so I decided to sit out as a precaution,” he added. 

Sushil was attended to by doctors during his bout against Jitender during last month’s trials for the Commonwealth Games. Sushil has medial collateral ligament injury, which normally takes two weeks to heal. A source said that Sushil would not play in the league.

“I doubt that he will play. I don’t think he will take a major risk,” the source said.

However, Sushil said he was doing his all to get fit so that he was available for Delhi’s next match against UP Dangal on January 15.

“I am trying to get fit. Let’s see whether I can fight in the next match,” he said.

The tie against Haryana would have been Sushil’s debut in the season. In the first tie, which was also the opening night of Season 3, against Mumbai Maharathi, Sushil couldn’t take to the mat as he was blocked by opposition skipper Sakshi Malik. Delhi lost that match 5-2. Interestingly, Sushil revealed that his knee was heavily padded-up for the first tie. “I would have fought that day but was blocked. My knee was bandaged but I was given an okay to fight, but today we had to be extra cautious so I sat out,” Sushil said.

No headway in Rana case

Meanwhile, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is yet to forward Parveen Rana’s complaint against Sushil to its disciplinary committee, which is headed by senior vice-president ID Nanavati.

WFI is confident that there was no witness or any footage that could prove Sushil’s presence at the scene when persons alleged to be his supporters beat up Rana and his elder brother after the CWG trials on December 29. 

“There is no footage that proves he was there. He has already replied. So the matter rests there,” a WFI source said. “Yes, if tomorrow some evidence or footage emerges that shows his direct involvement, then we will have to act. As of now, there is no need to act.”