Mohammadreza Shadlu creates history; sold for Rs 2.35 crore to Puneri Paltan

He previously represented Patna Pirates in the previous two PKL seasons.

Iran's Mohammadreza Shadlu created history by becoming the most expensive buy in Pro Kabaddi League history after he was sold to Puneri Paltan for a whopping price of Rs 2.35 crore. Shadlu leapfrogged the previous best landmark figure set by Pawan Sehrawat at 2.26 crore. He represented Patna Pirates for two seasons and will now ply his trade for a new franchise in the upcoming PKL season 10. 

The Iranian was the second most successful defender last season, scoring 84 tackle points and an overall 89 points. Shadlu also smashed the record for most tackle points scored in one match by a player in the history of PKL by scoring 16 points against Dabang Delhi KC.

However, with the franchise in the rebuilding phase, all his efforts went in vain as the team failed to progress to the playoffs. Sachin Tawar was the lone bright spot alongside Rohit Gulia in the raiding department for Patna.

The Iranian international made his debut in PKL season 8 and, in his maiden campaign, scored the most tackle points - 94 in 24 matches. He further went on to solidify his place in the starting 7 by retaining his spot as the left-corner defender. In two seasons played so far, Chiyaneh has scored a total of 183 points. 

Apart from just being a primary defender, the youngster has added a new dimension to his gameplay by scoring raid points. He scored a few raid points for Patna Pirates last season and further continued his raiding presence for Iran in the Asian Championships and the recently concluded Asian Games 2023.  

In the quadrennial extravaganza, he was the main raider for Iran and in the closing stages of the final against India scored crucial points. More importantly, he single-handedly led Iran in raiding at the Asian Championships a few months prior to the Asiads.