Mumbai : Fazal Atrachali, one of the best players of Vivo Pro Kabaddi (PKL) has said that as PKL players have a huge platform, so all players want to play in this tournament. The ninth season of PKL is starting from October 7. Iranian player Fazal who is a fine defender will play for Puneri Paltan.
Fazal said, “Our last big tournament for Iran was Asian Games 2018, so we have only Pro Kabaddi as a platform in which we can play regularly. As in any other sport, there are many tournaments throughout the year, but our last major tournament was 5 years ago. That’s why all the players want to play in PKL.
When asked about what has changed in the league since its debut in Season 2, he said, “With more new players coming into PKL, the number of skills has also increased. Ten years ago, we didn’t have the same skills as Dubki, but now we have. Earlier, if you had power, you could do well in kabaddi, but now, speed, power and a good mind are all that is needed.
Atrachali also described the language barrier with the Indian players in her own way, saying, “It has been a long and difficult journey for me. I had language problems and being away from family, but playing in PKL is full of good memories for me. There are so many languages in India. So, what I do is I teach some English to the players and I also learn their language whether it is Hindi or Tamil.
The defender also spoke about the popularity of Kabaddi in Iran, adding, “People in Iran follow PKL on PKL app and on Instagram and YouTube. A lot of young players in Iran are adopting this game because of Pro Kabaddi and they dream of playing in PKL. Indian players like Pawan Kumar Sehrawat, Aslam Inamdar and Naveen are very famous in Iran.
Atrachali also shared his goals for the upcoming season, he said, “I want to finish next season as the player with the most tackle points in the history of PKL. Right now I am second only to Manjit Chillar. I also want to win the best defender award for the third time. But my primary target is to win the title with Puneri Paltan this season.”
