"Today we have decided he will be the captain" - Maninder Singh confirms Fazel Atrachali will lead Bengal Warriorz in PKL 11

Former Pro Kabaddi League champions Bengal Warriorz have named Fazel Atrachali as their new captain for the 11th edition of the PKL. The Iranian star joined the Kolkata-based franchise at the PKL 11 Auction, which took place earlier this year in Mumbai.

Maninder Singh captained the Bengal Warriorz in PKL 10. While Maninder still continues to be a part of the Kolkata-based franchise, he will no longer be the skipper.

The Warriorz are yet to make an official announcement about the captaincy change, but the team's star raider Maninder Singh confirmed the same during a conversation with Star Sports.

"Fazel has been a very dear friend to me. We had gone to Iran and visited his family which was a very warm experience. We used to discuss this over video calls as well. Him joining our team is very exciting for all of us," Maninder said.

"Fazel wanted me to be the captain and I wanted him to be the captain. Today, we have decided that he will be the captain. Now that he is the captain we will back him whenever he needs us," he concluded.

Fazel Atrachali led the Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi Season 10

Iranian star Fazel Atrachali has enormous captaincy experience under his belt. He was the captain of the Gujarat Giants last season, and under his leadership, the Giants finished in the top 6 of the standings.

Many fans were surprised to see the Gujarat-based franchise release Atrachali before the auction. Gujarat coach Ram Mehar Singh did not even try to re-sign the Iranian star, allowing Bengal Warriorz to steal his services for just ₹50 lakh.

It will be exciting to see how the Warriorz perform under Fazel's captaincy. Last season, the Warriorz finished seventh in the standings and narrowly missed out on a place in the playoffs.

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