Top 10 players to watch out for in Prime Volleyball League 2023

The tournament will be played at venues spread across three cities.

The Rupay Prime Volleyball League 2 will begin on 04 February 2023. The inaugural season was a huge success with 18 Indian top Indian players getting an opportunity to shine in the Maldives Premier League. The second season will get to see the addition of a new team Mumbai Meteors. In this article let us look at the top 10 players to watch out for in the second season.

Ashwal Rai

Ashwal Rai is the captain of the inaugural champions Kolkata Thunderbolts. The 29-year-old from Karnataka was retained by the franchise after putting on a great show as a blocker. Ashwal Rai scored 57 attack points and was in 12 successful blocks which made him the top blocker in season 1. Both the coach and Ashwal share a great camaraderie with both being from Karnataka being an added advantage. This season he will be having the added pressure of retaining the title. Ashwal has also been an important part of the Indian team in the past.

Cody Caldwell

Cody Caldwell from the USA was part of Kochi Blue Spikers in the inaugural season and had a wonderful season. He scored 45 points the most by any foreign player in the league in season 1 and was the saviour for Kochi on multiple occasions. The American block success rate stood at 48.1 per cent and was successful in digging the ball at a success rate of 78.9 per cent. He will now be representing Kolkata Thunderbolts who are the inaugural champions and shall look to replicate his previous season's performance with the new franchise.

Pinamma Prasanth

The 26-year-old overall had a good inaugural season with Chennai Blitz which made the franchise retain him for the second season. He wasn't part of the playing seven in the first four matches but after four successive losses, the management gave Prasanth an opportunity and the setter grabbed the opportunity with both hands putting on a good show. With Mohan Ukkarapandian not retained Prasanth will play a huge role in the second season as the primary setter.

Jerome Vinith

The attacker from Calicut Heroes was part of the 2022 National Games gold medal-winning Kerala State team. He has represented India on multiple occasions and was also the captain of the Indian team. Vinith will be leading Calicut Heroes for the second consecutive season and this time will look to put up a better show.

Pankaj Sharma

Pankaj Sharma will captain Bengaluru Torpedoes the franchise retained him for Prime Volleyball League 2023. The attacker is a havildar in the Indian army and was also part of the Indian team at the 2018 Asian Games. Pankaj will be having an added responsibility this season with the franchise appointing legendary David Lee as the head coach who played in the inaugural season.

John Joseph

John Joseph had an excellent inaugural season registering 17 blocks at a 40% success rate. He was the Best Blocker of the season. Hyderabad Black Hawks finished as the semifinalists. The southern side lost to Ahmedabad Defenders in four sets but overall had a good season.

A. Karthik 

Karthik Angamuthu was part of Kochi Blue Spikers in the inaugural season. He has shifted base to Mumbai Meteors in the second season. He was sold for a whopping price of 10 lakhs and is in the top five costliest players list. Mumbai Meteors will be making their maiden appearance in the Prime Volleyball League. Karthik will be playing a key role for the Kochi franchise.

Ranjith Singh

The veteran after representing Bengaluru Torpedeos in the first season has shifted flanks after being brought by Hyderabad Black Hawks for a whopping 12.25 lakhs. He is currently the second-joint costliest player in the league along with Chirag Yadav. Ranjith has been a vital member of the Indian national team. He has led the side in several major international tournaments.

Amit Gulia

Amit Gulia has been a consistent part of the National team since 2019 after having led the U23 side to a silver medal finish at the Asian Championships. The 24-year-old was part of Hyderabad Black Hawks in the inaugural season and now will be representing Mumbai Meteors after being brought for 7.10 lakhs. He was part of the Maldives Premier League and was one among the 18 Indian players to play in the foreign league.

Mohan Ukkrapandian

The 35-year-old veteran will be representing Calicut Heroes this season after having a player for Chennai Blitz in the inaugural season. He is one of the best setters India has ever produced and will make an important combo along with Jerome Vinith. Ukkrapandian did not have a good season but will look to overturn his fortune for Calicut Heroes.