“What a downfall for him” - Fans react as Bengal Warriorz pick up Fazel Atrachali for just Rs. 50 lakh in Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction
The first day of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 11 auction on Thursday (August 15) has already sprung up some excellent buys, with former Gujarat Giants defender Fazel Atrachali being snapped up by the Bengal Warriorz for a bargain price of Rs. 50 lakh. The defender, who previously captained both the Gujarat Giants and the Iran national kabaddi team, had a base price of Rs. 30 lakh, and the Warriorz did well to pick him up without entering a bidding war.
Bengal Warriorz, who had one of the leakiest defenses in the previous seasons of the PKL, will be immensely improved with the arrival of Fazel Atrachali, who is the highest tackle point-scorer in the league’s history.
However, the unexpectedly low price for a defender of Atrachali’s stature has shocked fans, and many have taken to social media to comment on the drop-off in his market value over the years since joining the PKL in its second season.
“Fazel for only 50 lakhs , what a downfall for him. Still it's a good buy. Congrats,” one fan posted on X.
“Fazel went for just 50 😭” another post read.
However, some fans commented on his improved performances for Gujarat in the PKL Season 10, with one fan commenting:
“Fazel played better last season. 60+ tackle points with captaincy role. Teams gone blind.”
A few fans criticized the Gujarat Giants for not exercising their Final Bid Match (FBM) option on Fazel Atrachali.
“50L only for fazel ?? gujrat no fbm 😭,” one fan posted.
“Guj shud have used [FBM] for fazel. Bengal got steal of the day,” another post read.
One fan wrote, “Fazel Atrachali sold to Bengal for 50L. Steal Deal 🔥”
Bengal Warriorz look to fix leaky defense with the arrival of Fazel Atrachali
The Bengal Warriorz had a disappointing few seasons in the Pro Kabaddi League as of late and finished in the seventh position last season with 54 points. The Kolkata-based franchise had one of the poorest defenses in the league, with an abysmal tackle success rate of 34%.
Meanwhile, Fazel Atrachali was in solid form in PKL Season 10, winning 66 points in 23 matches with a not-out percentage of 87.5% throughout the season. Despite a relatively low tackle success rate of 48%, Atrachali was proactive in defense, attempting 121 tackles for his team.
With the Bengal Warriorz now deploying the Iranian star in their PKL season 11 lineup, the team will hope to improve its play at the back as it attempts to re-establish itself as one of the top teams in the Pro Kabaddi League.