The Chicago Hounds signed Malaysian international Dinesvaran ‘Duke’ Krishnan for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 34-year-old lock (35 in May) is 6’5″ and 260 lbs.
Duke grew up in Sungai, Petani, Kedah, Malaysia before moving to Penang for secondary school. He began playing rugby at age 13, representing the school and district. He then concentrated on playing soccer and volleyball for the remainder of high school before resuming rugby after graduation in 2007.
He played rugby with the Bukit Mertajam Rhinos in 2007 and later that year represented the Malaysia Under-20s at the Asia Rugby Football Union Under-20s Tournament in Brunei. He then switched teams in 2008, playing for COBRA (Combined Old Boys Rugby Association for seven years.
In 2010 he played for the Malaysia National Sevens team in tournaments in Shanghai, Thailand, and Brunei, and then in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. He also has 12 caps for the National XVs team.
His professional rugby journey took him to Japan in 2013 to play for Yamaha Júbilo (now called the Shizuoka Blue Revs) in Japan’s Top League. He also spent two months training with the Blue Bulls in South Africa. Duke played 67 matches with the Júbilo until he switched to the Hino Red Dolphins in 2019. There he played 12 more Top League matches.
His stats in Japan’s Top League include playing 5868 minutes in 79 matches and scoring 11 tries.
Duke joins the Chicago Hounds from the Hino Red Dolphins in Japan’s League One.
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