Chennai: Puneri Paltan pulled off an impressive victory in the first match of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, beating defending champions Bengaluru Bulls 31-23. Only 16 points separated the top and the bottom
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The auction for the sixth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) went underway on Wednesday. A total of 422 players were in line to go under the hammer during the two-day-auction.
Well, there was also another exciting element to this year’s auction. But, the auction saw 87 young players from the Future Kabaddi Heroes programme — an initiative of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and PKL wherein several youngsters from cities and villages going under the hammer.
So much so, 87 players were shortlisted after more than 3,000 players were screened at the selections spread across 18 cities.
Chris Cowdrey – the man with the hammer in the hand is in the house! Are you ready for the second session of the #VivoProKabaddiAuction? Keep watching this space for more. pic.twitter.com/2g7ioc6UoN
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) May 30, 2018
But, unfortunately, not all the 87 players managed to get contracts. The 12 teams secured the services of a total of 17 players. Each franchise can buy anywhere between 18 and 25 players in the auction, with 18 being the bare minimum. The 12 teams have INR 4 crore each to form their teams.
Meanwhile, the young players were auctioned with a fixed base price of ₹6.6 lakh rupees. The youngsters are set to add more excitement and flair to the team composition.
In addition, U Mumba, Gujarat Fortune Giants, and Telugu Titans bought three players each. UP Yoddha bought two while Bengal Warriors, Dabang Delhi, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, Haryana Steelers and Jaipur Pink Panthers bought one player each.
Bengaluru Bulls – None.
Bengal Warriors – Mithun Kumar.
Dabang Delhi – Naveen Kumar.
Puneri Paltan – Amit Kumar.
U Mumba – Ananth Kumar, Mohit Balyan, Gaurav Kumar.
Tamil Thalaivas – Rajnish.
Haryana Steelers – Arun Kumar HN.
Telugu Titans – Kamal Singh, Ankit Beniwal, Anand.
Jaipur Pink Panthers – Lokesh Kaushik.
Gujarat Fortunegiants – Lalit Chaudhary, Vikram Kandola, Anil.
Patna Pirates – None.
UP Yoddha – Azad Singh, Akram Shaikh.
The first day of this year’s Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) auction belonged entirely to Fazel Atrachali. The Iranian defender smashed the previous records while becoming the most expensive player in the history of the league.
U Mumba secured his services for a whopping cost of INR one crore. Atrachali had starred for Gujarat Fortune Giants (GFG) last year, helping the team enter the final.
RECORD-BREAKING! ??
Fazel Atrachali becomes the most expensive #VivoProKabaddi player at 1 crore & he is now with @U_Mumba! #VivoProKabaddiAuction
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) May 30, 2018
The Iranian star became the first player to be bought for the staggering amount in the history of the PKL Auctions. The record of being the most expensive player previously belonged to Nitin Tomar.
UP Yoddha had snapped him for INR 93 lakh in last year’s auction.
Atrachali has been one of the most influential overseas players in the Pro Kabaddi League. He is the eleventh best defender regarding tackle points.
Atrachali has scored 152 tackle points with an average of 2.71 in the competition so far. Atrachali has recorded 11 high 5s and a tackle strike rate of 66.09.
You asked for it and we got him! Welcome back to the #MumBoys, Fazel Atrachali! #OneTeamOneZid #VivoProKabaddiAuction pic.twitter.com/gNFyqdKU8d
— U Mumba ( Tweeting from ?) (@U_Mumba) May 30, 2018
Atrachali finished as the ninth best defender with 57 tackle points for the Gujarat Fortune, last season. He was the best defender in the fourth season of PKL when he played for the Patna Pirates.
Atrachali was part of the U Mumba side that won the title in season second and finished runners-up with the same team in a season three.
After that, he left for the Patna Pirates in the auction, and he played a crucial role in their victory in the fourth edition.
“Firstly, I’m so much happy. U Mumba is my second home, and I respect them a lot as U Mumba my first team in the Pro Kabaddi League. I love U Mumba, I’m very happy with the contract that I have got and for breaking the record in the league,” Fazel told Times Now.
The two-day auction for the sixth edition of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) started on Wednesday (30) morning and it was a gala affair. A total of 422 players were on the list to go under the hammer.
Moreover, the first day of the auction belonged to Iranian defender, Fazel Atrachali. He broke all records on an opening day, to become the most expensive Pro Kabaddi player ever.
U Mumba snapped him for a whopping cost of INR one crore. Atrachali had starred for Gujarat Fortune Giants, last year, helping the team enter the final.
The INR one-crore price for Atrachali is slightly outrageous considering that all the 12 teams have a limit of INR four crore to spend in this year’s auctions.
RECORD-BREAKING! ??
Fazel Atrachali becomes the most expensive #VivoProKabaddi player at 1 crore & he is now with @U_Mumba! #VivoProKabaddiAuction
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) May 30, 2018
The Iranian star became the first player to be bought for a massive amount in the history of the PKL Auctions.
The record of being the most expensive player previously belonged to Nitin Tomar. UP Yoddha secured his services for INR 93 lakh in last year’s auction.
Atrachali has been one of the most influential overseas players in the Pro Kabaddi League. He is the eleventh best defender in terms of tackle points.
Ace professional Atrachali has scored 152 tackle points with an average of 2.71 in the competition so far. Atrachali has recorded 11 high 5s and a tackle strike rate of 66.09.
You asked for it and we got him! Welcome back to the #MumBoys, Fazel Atrachali! #OneTeamOneZid #VivoProKabaddiAuction pic.twitter.com/gNFyqdKU8d
— U Mumba ( Tweeting from ?) (@U_Mumba) May 30, 2018
Abozar Mighani, Atrachali’s compatriot and his partner in Gujarat, also started a bidding war.
Mighani became the first foreign player to be sold on Wednesday and was purchased by Telugu Titans at INR 76 lakhs.
Mumbai, May 30: Jaipur Pink Panthers owner Abhishek Bachchan on Wednesday explained the idea behind not retaining any player ahead of the upcoming sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), starting October 19.
The Panthers’ owner while speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the ongoing PKL auctions said that the franchise wanted to build a new team which will be known for their winning ways.
Notably, Panthers were the inaugural PKL title holders but failed to continue with the winning momentum in the subsequent editions of the league.
“The idea is to reshuffle the side and come with a much stronger and dynamic team,” Abhishek said.
“We won the inaugural season of the league but now we also want to be known as a winning team, a team with a winning attitude,” he said.
With the money flowing in on the Kabaddi players on the rise since the PKL’s inception in 2014, Abhishek said it was all due to the league getting bigger and better every season.
Significantly, Rakesh Kumar was the costliest player in the first season of the PKL after being purchased for Rs 12.80 lakh by Patna Pirates. Three years later in 2017, Nitin Tomar became the most expensive player after being pocketed for a whopping Rs 93 lakhs by UP Yoddhas.
“The league is getting bigger and better. The viewership has also increased almost to 10 times which shows the potential of the league,” Abhishek said.
“Kabaddi is one of the few sporting leagues in India which is growing exponentially in terms of viewership. With viewership comes sponsorship which brings more money and as a result teams spend more money on players,” the Bollywood actor explained.
New Delhi, May30: Former Indian team chief coach Krishan Kumar Hooda was on Tuesday appointed coach of the Dabang Delhi team for the upcoming sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
The announcement came a day before the players’ auction in Mumbai on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hailing from Rohtak, Hooda has a meritorious coaching profile attached to his name. In his 32-year long relationship with Kabaddi, Hooda has coached the Haryana State team, and the Haryana Police Kabaddi team towards many notable victories in important events.
He has also served as chief coach of the national team, during the course of which the team won the SAF games and Asian Championships on multiple occasions.
Acknowledging the appointment of Hooda as the new coach, Saumya Khaitan, CEO of Dabang Delhi KC said: “It is important to channel our team’s energy and grit towards the right direction. Hooda has a proven track record of successfully coaching several teams, and individual athletes, across national and international realms of the sport.”
“His diverse and rich coaching experience will play a crucial role in creating a powerful strategy for the upcoming season,” Khaitan added.
Hooda said: “I am thrilled to be part of Dabang Delhi KC and positively look forward to using my abilities to shape powerful strategies, this Pro Kabaddi season.”
Puneri Paltan has roped in their new coach, Ashan Kumar, for the upcoming Season 6 of the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League.
Ashan is an established Kabaddi player and a coach. Eventually, his career as a player has also been a glorified one. The former services Kabaddi coach subsequently worked closely with Nashik Army sports unit.
The athlete is a Grade A diploma holder in Kabaddi coaching from National Institute of Sports. As a player, he had his stints with the national team representing India at international tournaments as a captain.
In the past, Ashan led the ever-solid Indian Kabaddi side to Gold during Beijing XIth Asian Games, 2nd, 4th and 6th South Asian Games and Jaipur second Asian Kabaddi Championship, to name a few tournaments.
Ashan was the coach of the Haryana team in the 64th Kabaddi Senior Nationals where the team qualified for the semi-finals. He was bestowed with the esteemed Arjuna Award in 1999 by the President of India, Bhim Award in 1994 by Haryana Governor and Bharat Gaurav Award in 1993 by the AKFI President.
Speaking on the appointment of the new coach, Kailash Kandpal, CEO of Puneri Paltan said,
“We are looking at building a dynamic squad and wanted a coach who has got varied experience across teams. Ashan Kumar, appointed as a coach for season 6, has worked with international and national teams. With a proven track record with these teams, he is excited and eager to prove himself in PKL format. We are banking on his experience and strategic inputs to help us clinch the title this season.”
“I am very delighted to be a part of Puneri Paltan . (It) has been inching higher and higher, season after season. I intend to enhance the performance of the team in the upcoming season of PKL,” Ashan asserted.
