NEW DELHI: From hiding his kit, to sneaking out to play, from joining the Indian army to an opportunity in the world's most popular kabaddi league, the journey of raider Gururanth Baburao More has been an inspiring one -- a tale of overcoming hardships and struggle to play his beloved sport - Kabaddi.More, 25, is currently playing his third season in the Pro Kabaddi league and is a man on a mission to make his mark in the league, which boasts stars from the home of the sport - India and other big kabaddi playing nations across the world.But with no support from his family when he started off, More, who hails from the Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, fought all odds to fulfill his dreams.In an exclusive chat with TimesofIndia.com, More talked about where it all began to his run in the lucrative Pro Kabaddi League, which changed his life."I started playing Kabaddi in class 8 or 9. I used to go to play matches. But my family didn't want me to play kabaddi because of the fear of injuries. They used to scold me and on occasions I was also beaten for playing. There was no mat, we used to play in the mud. Bruises were common, so my family did not support me," More told TimesofIndia.com."I used to sneak out and play. I kept my kit at friends' house. Take it from their house, go and play a match and then keep the kit there again. This happened for close to six months" recalled More, whose father is a farmer in Kolhapur.During his initial days, More received no formal training and the only way to learn more about the sport was from the seniors in the village, who would come to see the matches.But then his life changed completely when he joined the army in 2012. "I joined the army in 2012, I got a platform. I got coaches there who guided and trained me," said More, who is a Hawaldar in the army.In 2015, More played in a league in Maharashtra and an exceptional performance there saw him being watched by PKL franchise Puneri Paltan's scouts."In Maharashtra, there was this Maha Kabaddi League, where my personal performance was good and the following year Puneri Paltan included me in their franchise," More told TimesofIndia.com.Two years in Pune and then he shifted to the Gujarat Fortunegiants. More feels that his new franchise has given him an opportunity to become a star player and the facilities provided by the management are one of the best in the entire Pro Kabaddi circuit."Gujarat does not have big names, that in turn provides an opportunity to showcase our talent and become a star. All the guys are below 25 years of age. The management has been very supportive in providing us facilities. Practice three times a day, focus on training, fitness and diet. We had a two-month camp prior to the season. No team has had such a big camp before the competition. Facilities here are better here than anywhere else," said More.But the two-time runners up, the Fortunegiants have had an average season this season so far. The franchise started with a bang, winning three matches. And then things went south for them as the team lost six matches in a row, before snapping the losing streak, with a win against the Patna Pirates.As far as More's personal performance in this year's Pro Kabaddi league is concerned, the raider has scored a total of 39 points in nine matches, which includes 26 raid points and 13 tackle points. The 25-year-old is yet to score a Super 10 for his new franchise but is optimistic about making amendments to his game."I have made improvements in my game if I compare them to my previous performances, but I am still making mistakes in defence and looking to fix them in the upcoming matches," More signed off.