Mumbai, Sep 30 (IANS): The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League is all set to commence on 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.
Bengal Warriorz turned over the page at the PKL player auction for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 11 where they were able to piece together a strong and well-balanced squad. Warriorz moved quickly and roped in their captain Fazel, enabling him to pair up with the legendary Maninder 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, Warriorz have a reputation for 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 leading 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 Bengal Warriorz colours for the first time in the PKL and is well remembered for his fantastic campaign in Season 6, when he became the first player in league history to score 100 tackle points in a single campaign.
Prashant Surve, head coach, of Bengal Warriorz said, “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 have 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," he added.