Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction: 3 teams which should target Fazel Atrachali
Fazel Atrachali is the most successful defender in Pro Kabaddi League history. The Iranian defender has earned 486 tackle points from 169 PKL matches in his career so far. No other defender has even touched the 410-tackle-points mark, which shows Fazel's greatness.
Surprisingly though, the Gujarat Giants have released Fazel Atrachali from their squad ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Fazel joined the Giants last season after they bid a whopping ₹1.6 crore. Fazel formed a solid combination with coach Ram Mehar Singh, who entrusted the Iranian with the franchise's captaincy. Gujarat qualified for the playoffs but could not lift the trophy.
Fazel Atrachali had a decent outing in the defense. He played 23 matches and earned 66 points for the team. Still, the Gujarat Giants decided against renewing his contract. Now that Fazel is back in the auction pool, here's a list of three franchises who may target the Sultan of Pro Kabaddi on August 15.
#1 Gujarat Giants may try to sign Fazel Atrachali for a lower price
Considering that Fazel Atrachali averaged 2.7 successful tackles per match and led the team to the PKL playoffs, Gujarat Giants may think about signing the Iranian defender for Season 11. Since the Giants had to shell out ₹1.6 crore for his services last season, the think tank would have thought about re-signing him for a lower amount.
The Giants will also have the FBM card option for Fazel at Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. If Fazel's final value at the auction is around ₹1 crore, the Giants may not hesitate in using the FBM card and securing his services for the upcoming Pro Kabaddi League tournament. They might even assign the team's captaincy to him once again.
#2 Bengal Warriors
Bengal Warriors' defense executed the least successful tackles among all 12 teams in Pro Kabaddi Season 10. The Warriors managed only 192 successful tackles in 22 matches.
With ₹3.62 crore left in their PKL 2024 auction purse, the Warriors can think about spending big to acquire Fazel Atrachali's services. Maninder Singh has not been retained by the team. If the Warriors have to spend a huge sum for Fazel, they can even consider naming him as the skipper for the 11th PKL season.
#3 U Mumba
'Sultan' Fazel has represented U Mumba in multiple Pro Kabaddi League seasons. In fact, the Iranian started his PKL journey at the Mumbai-based franchise.
Like Bengal Warriors, U Mumba's defense struggled to perform well in the previous tournament. The Season 2 champions finished 11th on the team's leaderboard for successful tackles with only 199 successful tackles in 22 matches.
If U Mumba rope in an experienced name like Fazel Atrachali, the team's retained left corner defenders, namely Sombir Goswami, Lokesh Ghosliya and Deepak Kundu can learn a lot from him. Fazel also brings the leadership qualities to the table, which makes him a greater asset for U Mumba, who have not had a reliable captain in the last few Pro Kabaddi seasons.