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Telangana man collapses while playing badminton; friends fail to revive him

Police said that a case has been registered in this matter, adding that the deceased's postmortem examination has been conducted, and that reports are awaited.

Published on: Jul 28, 2025, 21:04:16 IST
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A 26-year-old man collapsed while playing badminton in Telangana's Hyderabad and died due to a suspected case of heart attack, police said on Monday.

Gundla Rakesh's friends were seen trying compression on his chest in a bid to revive him, but he couldn't be resuscitated. (Screengrab/X/@gharkekalesh)
Gundla Rakesh's friends were seen trying compression on his chest in a bid to revive him, but he couldn't be resuscitated. (Screengrab/X/@gharkekalesh)

The deceased, identified as Gundla Rakesh, was playing badminton with his friends at a private sports academy in the Uppal area on Sunday at 8 pm when he suddenly dropped to the floor.

A private company's employee, Rakesh, was rushed to a hospital by his friends, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, news agency PTI reported.

A video of the tragedy on the badminton court went viral on social media. His friends were also seen trying chest compression on him to revive Rakesh. The Khammam district native was playing a doubles' badminton match when the incident occurred.

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Police said that a postmortem examination was conducted, adding that its report was awaited. They also said that a case was registered in this matter.

Rakesh was reportedly son of Gundla Venkateshwarlu, a former deputy Sarpanch in Khammam district's Thallada village.

The incident comes just weeks after cricketer Harjeet Singh reportedly collapsed on the pitch just moments after hitting a six during a match in Punjab's Firozpur.

After hitting a sixer, Singh was casually walking back to the middle of the pitch when he suddenly fell to his knees in pain and then went unconscious, Deccan Herald reported.

ALSO READ | Cardiologist shares 6 heart attack warning signs you shouldn't ignore: From shortness of breath to indigestion

The players present on the ground gathered around him and even gave him CPR, but Singh could not be revived. A few minutes later, the cricketer was pronounced dead.

Several concerns have been raised about cardiac arrests in young people, especially those engaged in intense physical activities like training at the gym, playing sports, etc.

Karnataka's Hassan district had reported four deaths due to heart attack in a single day in June. The total number of cardiac-related deaths increased to 22 within 40 days in the district, and of these, at least five were between the age of 19 and 25.

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