Amid the uncared-for, solitary playground of Kukrawala village stands a hall where boys and girls are trained in national-style kabaddi, the mat-based version of the sport.Over the years, it has proved a nursery for kabaddi players not only from the district but also from across the state. Boys and girls from adjoining and far-off villages come to train in a sport that demands agility, a high degree of presence of mind and physical prowess.Kabaddi coach Ranjit Singh, who has played in the All India University Championship, has been training youngsters for the past 14 years. He has trained more than 500 players at the centre so far, of whom 300 have competed in national championships.In Harsha Chhina village in Ajnala, a border sub-division, he has managed to tap kabaddi talent for state and national teams despite having no sports facilities. His trained player Gursahib Singh was part of the Punjab kabaddi team that won a bronze medal at the Senior National Meet in Odisha in 2024, ending an 18-year wait for a medal.Another player, Jobanjeet Singh, was part of the All India Sub-Junior India camp in 2024, while Rajbir Singh attended the All India Junior India camp in 2023.At present, nearly 90 players, including 30 girls, all above 14 years of age, train at the centre. Boys under the age of 14, as well as those in the under-17, under-19, junior and senior categories, are being trained, while 30 girls in the under-17, under-19 and senior categories receive coaching from him.The Sports Department is providing a diet to 21 players who have competed at national-level competitions.Players trained at the academy have bagged top-three positions 68 times over the past 10 years.Several of his players have also secured employment with different government departments. More than 10 boys have joined the Army, while a woman player was recruited by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) last year.He is thankful to the Government Senior Secondary School, Harsha Chhina, for providing.Matching the pace of global changes, his team has produced good results after shifting to the mat. Ranjit Singh’s centre has produced a few international and several national players from Punjab’s countryside.What is national-style kabaddi?In circle-style kabaddi — a form of the sport that remains popular in villages — a raider is handled by a single defender. However, the format is slowly becoming a thing of the past.Under the new format, in national-style kabaddi, a raider has to take on all seven defenders, testing his or her physical and mental prowess within a given time.Along the lines of the Indian Premier League, players are auctioned and franchise teams are now in vogue in kabaddi. These changes have brought about a sea change in the sport, turning it into an action-packed affair that keeps viewers glued to their television screens.