"There's no meaning in sport without fans"- Puneri Paltan captain Fazel Atrachali expresses his gratitude to Pro Kabaddi 2022 fans in Pune
Pro Kabaddi 2022 star player Fazel Atrachali spoke about the importance of fans in sports at an event on Friday in Pune. The Puneri Paltan skipper opined that there is no meaning to playing a sport without the presence of supporters.
All 12 team captains of PKL 2022 attended a press conference in Pune during the rest day of the tournament's second leg on Thursday. Puneri Paltan have an opportunity to play in front of their home fans at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex for the first time since 2019.
Sharing his views on playing in front of a home audience, Puneri Paltan captain Fazel Atrachali said:
"We have missed the fans in the last three years. It's very interesting for us to play in front of fans again. There's no meaning in sport without fans. We play better when the fans cheer for us and they push us to perform better. I am thankful to the fans for coming to the stadium and supporting us."
Puneri Paltan have made a spectacular comeback in PKL 2022. They started the season with zero wins in their first three games. However, they are at the top of the Pro Kabaddi 2022 points table right now, with six wins from 10 games.
It has been great to see the emergence of young talent: Pro Kabaddi 2022 commissioner Anupam Goswami
Anupam Goswami, head, Sports Leagues at Mashal Sports, and commissioner of Pro Kabaddi League was also present at the press conference. He highlighted how youngsters like Narender Hoshiyar, Bharat Hooda, and Ankush have performed exceptionally well in the season so far.
Commenting on the emergence of young talent in the PKL 2022 season, Goswami said:
"The Pro Kabaddi League Season 9 has been very competitive and it has been great to see the emergence of young talent. Players like Ankush from Jaipur Pink Panthers, Bharat from Bengaluru Bulls, and Narender from Tamil Thalaivas are setting the mat on fire with their performances."
58 league matches have happened in Pro Kabaddi 2022 so far. There are plenty of games left, and it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top this season.