A borrowed kit and a ₹23 Lakh HIL bid: Vivek Lakra’s extraordinary journey

The camp at the National Hockey Academy in Bhubaneswar was quiet, save for the rhythmic thud of hockey balls against the turf and the occasional whistle cutting through the humid morning air.

Most players were wrapped in their routines, drills, passes, and stretches, but in one corner, a group huddled around the screen.

The Hockey India League Mini Auction was live, and even in the structured calm of the camp, tension crackled in the air.

Among them sat Vivek Lakra, the junior India goalkeeper from Odisha. His eyes, usually so focused during drills, darted nervously between the screen and the reactions of his teammates.

Then it happened. 

From a base price of ₹2 Lakhs, Shrachi Bengal Tigers broke the bank and picked up Vivek Lakra for a whopping ₹23 Lakhs.

The boy who had started with nothing, borrowing goalkeeper kits from seniors just to train, now had a price tag that made the room hum with astonishment.

“I was watching the auction, and I was really nervous. I didn’t expect my name to go that high, and when it happened… I was surprised. It’s very exciting,” Vivek said during an interaction with the media, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

“I just want to give my best. With experienced foreign players in the team, I hope to learn as much as I can whenever I get the chance.”

Borrowed kits and early struggles

Vivek’s story does not begin with the auction. Instead, it originated in Odisha, where his parents worked tirelessly as daily wage laborers.

Hockey was a dream, but one that demanded resources he simply did not possess.

When he first joined the Sports Hostel in Panposh, he did not even own a goalkeeper kit.

“I had to borrow from seniors just to train. sometimes once a week, maybe two or three times a month,” he recalls, his voice carrying the weight of memories that shaped him.

The borrowed kits were symbolic. Every scratch, every scuff, every hand-me-down glove was a reminder of how far he had to go. Yet Vivek never saw it as a barrier.

Then the lockdown hit, freezing tournaments and formal training sessions across the country. While many young players struggled to maintain form, Vivek improvised at home.

Long runs, fitness drills, and relentless practice became his new routine.

Post-lockdown, Vivek’s hard work began to pay off.

At an inter-district tournament, scouts noticed him. His performances earned him a spot to represent India in a tournament in Malaysia.

But there was a problem: Vivek did not have a kit of his own.

“I told my family I had to go to Malaysia, but I didn’t have a kit,” he says.

The cost? Around ₹38,000, a sum his family did not readily possess. Yet, they did not hesitate.

“They said, ‘We’ll manage somehow,’” he recalls.

A week later, the money arrived, thanks to the combined support of his parents and grandparents. Only after returning from Malaysia did Vivek ask how they managed it.

The response still humbles him: “They said, ‘Let him move forward. We’ll help him.’”

In Malaysia, Vivek delivered. His performances were solid, and when he returned home, he added another feather to his cap: a silver medal at the Khelo India Youth Games.

That tournament marked a turning point, the beginning of a journey that would soon see him in the national spotlight.

The story draws an uncanny parallel to PR Sreejesh’s early days, when his father sold a cow to buy him a goalkeeper kit. 

Inspired by a hero

For Vivek, the spark came from watching another goalkeeper rise under similar circumstances.

“Before I became a goalkeeper, I watched Sreejesh play in the 2018 World Cup. Seeing him in action was inspiring. That’s when I thought, ‘I want to be a goalkeeper too. Then once I started, I liked it more.”

Now, Sreejesh is not just a distant hero; he is a mentor, standing on the sidelines as Vivek and other juniors train under his watchful eyes.

“It’s amazing to have him as a coach. He teaches the basics that he applied in his career. Even when we make mistakes, he corrects us politely and patiently. That’s something I really admire,” Vivek says.

Thanks to the auction, the teenager can dream of performing wonders, in just the manner that his coach once did.

“Everyone at home was very happy after the auction. We come from a simple background, so this gives me even more motivation to keep working hard,” says Vivek.

The ambition was always there; the resources, sometimes not. But now, the piece of the puzzle appear to be falling in place for young Vivek.