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Fazel Atrachali (Source: Twitter)
Mumbai, 23 September, 2022: One of the most decorated vivo Pro Kabaddi players Fazel Atrachali is looking to dazzle the fans once again in the upcoming season, starting 07 October 2022. The high-flying defender, who will turn up for Puneri Paltan in the ninth season of the League, explained the reason behind players’ attraction towards PKL, “Our last big tournament for Iran was the Asian Games 2018, so we have only Pro Kabaddi as a platform, wherein we can play regularly. In any other sport, there are many tournaments throughout the year, but our last big tournament was 5 years ago. And therefore, all players want to play in PKL.”
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When asked about what has changed in the League since his debut in Season 2, the Iranian said, “With more new players coming into PKL, the number of skills has also increased. Ten years ago, we didn't have a skill like Dubki, but now we have it. Earlier, if you had power, you could do well in kabaddi, but now, one needs everything - speed, power and a good mind.”
Atrachali has also addressed the language barrier with Indian players in his own style, “It's been a long and difficult journey for me. I have had language problem and issues of staying away from family, but playing in the PKL is filled with good memories for me. In India, there are so many languages. So, what I do is, I teach players a little English and I also learn a bit of their language whether its Hindi or Tamil.”
The defender also spoke about the popularity of kabaddi in Iran, “People in Iran follow PKL through the PKL app and through videos on Instagram and YouTube. And because of Pro Kabaddi, a lot of young players are taking up the sport in Iran and they dream of playing in PKL. And Indian players such as Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar and Naveen are very famous in Iran.”
Atrachali also shared his goals for the upcoming season, “I want to end the next season as the player with most tackle points in PKL history. Right now, I am second behind Manjeet Chhillar. I want to also win the Best Defender Award for the third time. But my primary goal is to win a title with Puneri Paltan this season.”