PKL 11: Top 10 foreign players to watch out for at Pro Kabaddi League season 11
The best foreign players in the world will be plying their trade in PKL 11.
Pro Kabaddi League has been a changer for the sport worldwide. This massively entertaining league has brought back life into the beautiful sport of Kabaddi since its launch back in 2014. Since then, the game has evolved a lot, and so have the players, the quality of play, and the competition among the players.
Not only the Indian players, but the overseas players have benefitted immensely from the league as they have upgraded their game learning to the best level possible. Meraj Sheykh, Fazel Atrachali, Mohsen Maghsoudloujafari, and Jang Kun Lee are some of the most successful foreign players to play in PKL history and two of them are still a part of it.
In the 11th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League, the fans expect the overseas players to step up again and show their brilliance on the court. The rule of two overseas players in each team has been compulsion in the PKL and so have all the teams elected their two best foreign options for this edition. But out of those 24 players, which 10 are the ones to look out for? Let’s look at the best 10 overseas prospects of PKL 11.
10. Heidarali Ekrami
The young Iranian, Heidarali Ekrami, has been bought by the UP Yoddhas for PKL 11 for the whopping price of 19.10 Lakhs. Ekrami had a good outing in the last two seasons, where he managed to score 32 raid points and 2 tackle points in the 22 matches he played for U Mumba. Now, he has been let go by his previous franchise, and his new franchise, UP Yoddhas, will be expecting more from the Iranian in 2024.
9. Amir Hossein Bastami
Iranian players are the most impactful after the Indian players in the history of the PKL. Another Iranian, Amir Hossein Bastami, has had two pretty impactful years in PKL where he made his mark with incredible defending. Bastami has contributed in 46 Total Points in 31 matches, from which 44 are tackle points and two raid points. He will continue with his former team Tamil Thalaivas and will be expected to give another stellar performance in 2024.
8. Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibaksh
One of the best all-rounders from Iran, Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibaksh, will be looking for a better season this time. He started with an absolute banger in Seasons 7 and 8 when he represented Bengal Warriorz, where he scored 230 points in two seasons.
However, in the last two seasons, he has not made such a massive impact and had a quieter season comparatively scoring just 64 in the previous two seasons. But in PKL 11 he will want to make a grand comeback and return to his original form in which he commenced.
7. Milad Jabbari
Another defender from Iran, Milad Jabbari, had a good start to his PKL career in 2023. He played for the Telugu Titans and scored 33 tackle points and 2 raid points. He will continue his association with the Titans and will have to play a crucial role if the Titans want to lift their first PKL title.
6. Jang Kun Lee
The Korean raider, Jang Kun Lee, is one of the most successful overseas raiders in the history of the PKL. Lee has scored 471 raid points and 25 tackle points across the seven seasons he featured in. Although the Korean legend has been out of the League since 2019, he will make a comeback in the PKL 11. He will continue with the Patna Pirates where he left in 2019. With the amount of experience and excellence he holds, he is certainly one of the most exciting additions to the upcoming season.
5. Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi
The young Iranian defender who made his PKL debut in 2023 had an impressive beginning to his PKL career. He did not get a lot of match time, but he surely did showcase his potential in just 6 matches he got the opportunity to. Kaboudrahangi scored 17 tackle points and 2 raid points in the short span and arrived in style.
Looking at his performance in PKL10, he is one of the great potentials that will be tested in 2024 by the opponents. Will UP Yoddhas use him more and use his potential better than Tamil Thalaivas did in the last season? It will be interesting to see.
4. Reza Mirbagheri
Iranian defender Reza Mirbagheri is one of the few retained foreign players in PKL 11. Mirbagheri has had two good seasons with the Jaipur Pink Panthers and they decided to retain his invaluable addition to the squad.
In the last season, Mirbagheri scored 60 tackle points along with 4 raid points in 22 matches and showed his immense value. Even before that, in Season 9, he scored 36 tackle points in 16 matches, from where he has been a strong pillar of the Panthers’ defense. It will be fascinating to see how he handles the pressure this year and if he can continue his good run.
3. Fazel Atrachali
Fazel Atrachali is one of the most popular names in Kabaddi. He has been an integral part of PKL since 2015 and has played fabulously in all the seasons. In 2024, he is going to join the Bengal Warriorz camp for the first time.
Previously, Atrachali has represented U Mumba, Patna Pirates, Gujarat Giants, and Puneri Paltan. The Iranian legend has scored 486 tackle points in his PKL career along with 8 raid points and is about to touch the golden 500-point mark. He is always a player to look out for and will be the one in this edition as well.
2. Aamirmohammad Zafardanesh
At number two, we have the Iranian all-rounder who made an incredible debut in PKL 10. Aamirmohammad Zafadanesh started his PKL journey in the last season and had an outstanding outing. The Iranian scored 141 raid points along with 7 tackle points to become one of the best players of the season. He has been retained by U Mumba, and all the Mumba fans will be waiting for his performance in PKL 11.
1. Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh
The most awaited overseas performance of PKL 11 will be one of the most expensive overseas players in the history of PKL. Mohammadreza Shadloui, who was sold for 2.35 crores in the last season by the reigning champions Puneri Paltan is now bought by Haryana Steelers for a whopping price of 2.07 crores. Paltan had to let go of the champion player because of their budget issue, and the Steelers were not at all hesitant to make the most of this opportunity.
The Iranian all-rounder has played for Patna Pirates and Puneri Paltan in the past seasons and will make his debut for the Haryana Steelers in 2024. He is one of the most consistent players in the last three seasons, where he scored 94, 89, and 126 points respectively in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In the last season, his defending was exceptional with a 59% success rate in his tackles. Haryana Steelers would be hoping that Shadloui brings a similar performance and the champion luck to bring them their first PKL trophy.
Among the 24 foreign players, these 10 would be the top ones to look after. On the other hand, you never know which player might surprise you in the Pro Kabaddi League. According to you, who would be the player to watch out for in the 11th edition of PKL?
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