PKL Auction: Fazel Atrachali joins Gujarat Giants for Rs 1.60 crore

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Published at :October 10, 2023 at 3:24 AM

Modified at :October 10, 2023 at 3:25 AM

He captained a young Puneri Paltan side to the PKL final last season.

Two-time Pro Kabaddi League champion Fazel Atrachali was sold to Gujarat Giants for a whopping Rs 1.60 crore. After a bidding war among several franchises, the Iranian was brought by two-time finalist. Having captained the young brigade of Puneri Paltan to the PKL final last season, Fazel will most likely be donning the captain's hat once again in PKL season 10.

Fazel Atrachali led Puneri Paltan to the final of PKL season 9 and is the most successful foreign defender in the history of the league. The 31-year-old scored 56 tackle points and was in the top 10 defenders list at the end of the season.

The left-corner defender started his PKL career in season 2 representing U Mumba and was a vital cog in the following season scoring 32 points. Soon he made a shift to Patna Pirates and Gujarat Giants in next following seasons. He was part of the title-winning Patna Pirates' team in season 4 and then made the shift to the west. In season 4, he was the most successful defender and crossed the 50 tackle points mark for the first time.

In the following season, he scored another 50-plus tackle points and led Gujarat Giants to the final but couldn't cross the final hurdle against his former franchise Patna Pirates.

After a two-season hiatus, Fazel joined back U Mumba in season 6 and was instantly made the captain. The move paid off pretty well as scored 83 tackle points and in the following season led the team to the semifinals. In his brief stay for two seasons, the Iranian nurtured several youngsters like Ajith, who achieved massive success in the raiding department.

The Iranian defender has overall scored 424 tackle points and is the most successful defender who leapfrogged Manjeet Chhillar last season. Apart from his heroics in PKL, he has led Iran on several occasions and was part of the gold medal-winning team in the 2018 Asian Games where Iran defeated heavyweights India to clinch gold.

M Sudharshan

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