PKL 11 Auction: Bengal Warriors sign Iran legend Fazel Atrachali

Fazel Atrachali went to the Warriors for a steal price at PKL 11 auction.

Iranian legend Fazel Atrachali has been picked up by Bengal Warriors for a price of Rs 50 lakhs at the Pro Kabaddi League PKL 11 auction. Considering the calibre and experience of the maestro, this can be considered a huge steal deal.

The PKL 11 auction is being conducted today and tomorrow, in Mumbai. More than 500 players, with varied skillsets have been up for grabs. With only 88 players (which includes 22 Elite Retained Players) being retained by the 12 franchisees, it has been a blockbuster evening. Stars of modern-day kabaddi, including the likes of Pawan Sehrawat, Mohammadreza Shadloui, among others, went under the hammer.

Fazel Atrachali finds a new home, Bengal Warriors brought him for a ₹50 lakh. #PKL | #PKL11 | #ProKabaddiLeague | #Kabaddi | #PKLSeason11 | #ProKabaddi pic.twitter.com/vyXn2XDoKL

— Khel Kabaddi (@KhelNowKabaddi) August 15, 2024

Fazel Atrachali is one of the biggest legends in Pro Kabaddi League history. In fact, the left corner has scored a total of 486 tackle points- the most by a defender in this league. He has been part of two title winning squads- U Mumba in season 2 and Patna Pirates in season 4.

Dabang Delhi started the bid at Rs. 30 lakhs, with Bengal Warriors joining them in the fight. Delhi dropped out at Rs. 50 lakhs. Surprisingly, no other team decided to contest, and the hammer came down. Gujarat Giants opted to not use their FBM card, which meant that Fazel, for the first time, will be plying his trade for the Warriors.

The Sultan was snapped up at the auction last year by the Gujarat Giants, for a price of Rs 1.6 Crores. He managed to captain his side to the playoffs last year, before they bowed out in the eliminators. However, he had an underwhelming season as a defender, by his lofty standards, ending 13th in the list of best defenders with a total of 62 tackle points in 23 matches. He was released by the team, ahead of the auction for the eleventh season.

Also Read: PKL 11 Auction Live Updates

Fazel, who won gold at the Jakarta Asian Games 2018 with Iran, apart from three silver medals in the quadrennial event, made his PKL debut in season 2 for U Mumba. He scored two tackle points in his team’s victory over Dabang Delhi in that match. He, eventually, ended the season with 12 points in five matches.

In the next season, where the Mumbai-based team finished runners-up, he played a much bigger role. He finished as the team’s second highest scoring defender, with a total of 32 tackle points in 11 matches.

Fazel, who was part of the Iranian squad which won the silver medal at the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, had his landmark PKL season in the fourth edition. He had moved to the Patna Pirates, and he played a huge-role in their title winning campaign. It was a double delight for Fazel, as his total of 52 tackle points in 16 matches earned him the Best Defender Award.

He moved to Gujarat Giants for the next season, where his stellar tally of 57 tackle points, resulted in his team’s entry into the final, in their very first season of inception.

He then had his ‘homecoming’, with U Mumba signing him and also making him the captain. There was also a slice of history created, as he became the first foreigner to enter the one crore club.

While seasons 6 and 7 saw him succeeding as a defender scoring 80+ points in each of them, he endured a dip in form in season 8. While age did play its role, he also was a bit passive that season as he was leading a young team, which meant that he wanted to be on court for as long as possible.

He was then released before the auction of the nineth season, where he was picked up by the Puneri Paltan for a whopping cost of Rs 1.38 Crore. He again had an underwhelming season in defence by his standards, although he did manage to lead a young and injury-stricken team to the final, for the first time in its history. He was then released again for the 10th season, with the Gujarat based franchisee picking him up.

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