Picture Credit: X
The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League is all set to commence from October 18, in Hyderabad. Ahead of the season, the Bengal Warriorz have named the talismanic Iranian Fazel Atrachali as the team’s captain, and Nitesh Kumar as his deputy. Dressed in the unmistakable light blue kits, the squad also boasts of one of India’s best raiders, Maninder Singh, as they look to storm into Season 11 with a fresh and dynamic perspective.
The Bengal Warriorz turned over the page at the Season 11 PKL Player Auction where they were able to piece together a strong and well-balanced squad. The Warriorz moved quickly and roped in their Captain Fazel Atrachali, enabling him to pair up with the legendary Maninder Singh, and will be hoping the duo can have a memorable impact on the upcoming edition of the tournament. Champions of the PKL in Season 7, the Warriorz have a reputation of giving the opposition teams a tough time, and yet again they are putting in the hard yards in training, so that there isn’t a slip between the cup and the lip once the team walks onto the mat.
One of the most recognisable faces in the PKL, Fazel, has been part of the tournament since the second season and he is all set to make his first appearance for the Bengal Warriorz, one of the founding teams of the competition.
The 32-year-old is known to lead by example and has played a total of 169 games in the tournament, with a whopping 494 points to his name. Fazel, who is known as the Sultan, has a not-out percentage of 90 and a 54% tackle success rate to his name. The towering defender also belongs to an elite club of defenders who have won the ‘Defender of the Tournament’ on more than one occasion. Fazel has won two Asian Games Silver medals (2010 and 2014) and the Asian Games Gold medal in 2018, apart from winning the PKL title twice and led the Gujarat Giants to the final of the competition in their debut season.
Meanwhile, his deputy Nitesh Kumar is also very experienced, and has been part of the PKL since Season 5. The defender will look to form a solid partnership with his skipper through the course of Season 11, as he looks to build on the 354 points from 129 games in his PKL career. Nitesh comes into the new season with a not-out percentage of 58.33 and a tackle success rate of 50%. Like his skipper, Nitesh will be turning out in the Bengal Warriorz colours for the first time in the PKL, and is well remembered for his fantastic campaign in Season 6, when he became first player in the league history to score 100 tackle points in a single campaign.
Great honour to be a part of the Bengal Warriorz set-up: Fazel Atrachali
Speaking on the occasion, Captain Fazel Atrachali said, “It is a great honour to be a part of the Bengal Warriorz set-up, which is one of the oldest teams in the PKL. In the Warriorz camp, we will play like Warriorz, every player in the team, will put in his very best in every game, and hope to come out on top. This is a great opportunity for me to work with one of the top most raiders in the game - Maninder Singh. Our team is very well balanced and the team management, from the coaches to the owners, they have all been very supportive from the first day. We will do everything in our control to ensure that we are the best version of ourselves every day.”
“Fazel Atrachali is one of the best defenders in the sport of Kabaddi, and in the PKL. His ability to lead by example is very well documented. It will be brilliant to have him pair up with Maninder Singh, who is a raider unlike any in the sport. As a coach, it is great to be able to work with Fazel, Maninder and Nitesh, as they are very experienced and are proven performers for many years. Their presence has not only boosted the team’s energy and intensity levels in pre-season but also gives the youngsters in the squad a fantastic set of role models to look up to. We are confident that the Bengal Warriorz will have a good season, and the Capri Sports team is also ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our search for glory,” said Prashant Surve, Head Coach, Bengal Warriorz.
The Warriorz are also keen to reignite the fire and passion for Kabaddi amongst their fans across the country, with a unique campaign in #Ek7Akraman, which emphasises on the power of unity of the 7 Warriorz , who will transcend into an unstoppable force once they walk onto the mat.
“In Fazel and Nitesh, we have two of the best defenders, and leaders in the Bengal Warriorz squad this year. The leadership group and the rest of the squad, along with legend Maninder Singh have already shown great camaraderie in training in pre-season, and we, at Capri Sports, are confident, that this is the right combination for the way forward. We hope to kick off the second decade of the PKL with intensity, and are confident we have a great team full of Warriorz spirit to bring the trophy home,” said Apurv Gupta, Director - Contact Sports, Capri Sports.
“Fazel Atrachali is a personality that everyone looks up to in the PKL, and we are delighted that we can pair him up with Maninder Singh in the Bengal Warriorz squad. Both Fazel and Maninder, and Nitesh are all game-changers and can turn the contest around on their own on any given day, and we, at Capri Sports, are confident that the troika will lead by example.” said Jinisha Sharma, Director, Capri Sports.
(With Inputs from Press Release)
