Kumar began his playing career in hometown Bangalore, at the age of 13.[5] In 2018, he appeared with U13 side of Bengaluru.[5] He then played for Boca Juniors U-13, and BYFL Academy team.[5] Kumar's competitive club career began in 2020, when he travelled to Slovenia.[6] At first, he signed with U17 team of NK Bravo.[7] With Bravo, he took part in an U15 summer tournament in Italy.[7] In that competition, he became prominent in a match against Bologna U17 in their 1–1 draw, in which he saved multiple penalties.[8][7] He was then loaned out to another NextGen Liga club NK Krka, signing with their U17 team.[7] He helped the team achieving third place in the league.[9] He later appeared with U19 teams of both NK Bravo and NK Krka until moving to Olimpija Ljubljana.[7][10]
In February 2023, Kumar signed a contract with U19 side of NK Olimpija Ljubljana.[11][12] He joined the team as their third-choice goalkeeper in mid-season transfer.[7] After training with an Indian club, he joined Olimpija Ljubljana denying a move to the Indian Super League, stating "That was a good experience for me; it helped me understand how an ISL team works, and they offered me a contract. It's nothing that I have against the club or the ISL, but at the moment, I think my focus is to stay in Europe and train in Europe."[13] He made his official league debut on 28 July, against NK Aluminij.[2] He soon became regular starter for the club after showcasing his goalkeeping abilities in 2022–23 NextGen Liga.[7] He also made it to the team's UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad, alongside friendly tour to Austria in June.[14] In July, Kumar was called up to the senior squad, but remained uncapped in Slovenian PrvaLiga.[15]
Kumar is a former member of both Indian national under-16 and under-17 teams.[19][20] He was part of India under-16 team's tour to the United Arab Emirates, in which he appeared in their 4–2 win against Sharjah U18 on 36 January 2021, coming as a substitute for Lionel Daryl Rymmei on 62nd minute.[21] He later earned call-up to the Shanmugam Venkatesh managed India under-20 team to participate at the 2022 SAFF U-20 Championship in Odisha.[22][23][24] He made crucial saves in their semi-final win against the Maldives.[25] At the final on 5 August, they clinched title defeating Bangladesh 5–2.[26][27][28] He won best goalkeeper award in that edition.[24]
Kumar was also included in India's 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification squad.[29] They travelled to Kuwait in October, faced Australia, Iraq and Kuwait, winning a single match, against hosts.[30][31] A year later, he was again included into the team by head coach Shuvendu Panda for their 2023 SAFF U-19 Championship campaign in Kathmandu, Nepal.[32][33][34] They clinched their second consecutive title on 30 September, beating Pakistan 3–0.[35]
Personal life
Kumar was born and grew up in Bangalore.[15] His parents Vivek Kumar and Shama Kittur, both are former national-level badminton players.[15]