Immense pride to represent India against world's best in Men's Volleyball Club World Championships 2023, says Ashwal Rai

Published at :November 29, 2023 at 11:43 AM

Modified at :December 14, 2023 at 10:15 AM

Ahmedabad Defenders have qualified for the tournament by winning the PVL title.

In a significant boost for Indian sports, the country is not only set to participate but also host the Men’s Volleyball Club World Championships 2023 at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru.

With 10 high-octane matches scheduled between 6-10 December, this will be India’s first appearance at the highest level as the Ahmedabad Defenders face off against the world’s finest, including reigning champions, Sir Safety Susa Perugia from Italy, the formidable Brazilian duo of Sada Cruzeiro Volei and Minas Tênis Clube, Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds Club, and Turkey’s Halkbank Spor Kulübü.

The vibrant and dynamic city of Bengaluru is set to adopt a carnival-like atmosphere during the competition, reminiscent of when the Prime Volleyball League was in town. The Garden City of India has always had a deep love for the sport of Volleyball, and the Ahmedabad Defenders will surely benefit from the home support.

India’s best, the Ahmedabad Defenders, stormed into the tournament following a stellar performance that helped them lift the Prime Volleyball League earlier this year. The Men’s Volleyball Club World Championships 2023 allows teams to sign players from within their respective domestic leagues, and the Defenders have strengthened their line-up with loan deals for some of the best in the business.

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Top performers from other PVL franchises, including former champion and captain of the Kolkata Thunderbolts, Ashwal Rai, will don the Ahmedabad colors. Coincidentally, Ashwal is one of the many players in the Defenders’ unit who represented the Indian Volleyball Team in the recently concluded successful Asian Games campaign.

For Ashwal, the local boy from Karnataka, this serves as yet another opportunity to represent India and understandably, he is delighted. Ashwal said, “It is a matter of immense pride for us to represent our country against the world’s best Volleyball players. We are fans of many of these players and it will be an honor to compete with them.

This will be round 2 after the Asian Games, and no doubt we want to show them what we can do, and especially with the home support backing us, there is potential for some great contests, and moments that inspire others.”

Echoing the sentiment was Setter, Muthusamy Appavu, who said, “We will be lucky to have the home advantage and to have our friends and well-wishers support us. I am looking forward to a great atmosphere, much like what we experienced at the Bengaluru leg of the Prime Volleyball League earlier this year. Bengaluru loves Volleyball, and a well-contested tournament will definitely drive crowds to the stadium, we are sure the fans will come in numbers and boost us up.”

With one week to go for the Men’s Volleyball Club World Championships 2023, fans can avail tickets to come support their favourite players from today. The match tickets can be purchased at BookMyShow starting today.

The 2023 Men’s Volleyball Club World Championships will be telecast live in India on Sony Sports Network across Sony Ten 1 & Sony Ten 3 channels and the broadcast will be shown globally on Volleyball World.

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