Can't believe I hold several records in PKL: Fazel Atrachali
Dec 07, 2023
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], December 7 : The Gujarat Giants registered their third consecutive victory in the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 after defeating U Mumba 39-37 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia on Tuesday. Sonu led the charge for the Giants once again with 11 points in the game.
Speaking about his performance, Giants' Head Coach Ram Mehar Singh said, "Sonu gives it his all in every raid. He uses his height brilliantly. We have told him to play his game and decide his own strategies. He has played very well in all three games. And when he does well, the rest of the team also gets motivated to put up good performances."
The Gujarat Giants' captain, Fazel Atrachali, also lauded Sonu's performance, "He has been the hero for the Gujarat Giants this season. He's our game-changer. Rakesh also played well for us against U Mumba. We have a lot of good players and our team is well-balanced."
Furthermore, Atrachali, who plays as a specialist defender in the side, tried his hand at raiding in his team's match against U Mumba. When asked about the same, he said,
"I used to be a raider about ten years ago. I played as a raider for Iran in 2013. I was happy about how I effected my raid and I didn't know that it was a do-or-die raid. I went in to carry out an empty raid, but I managed to clinch a raid point."
The Iranian, who holds the records for the most tackle points (432) and most successful tackles (406) in the history of PKL, spoke about his journey in the world's biggest Kabaddi league, saying, "My journey in the Pro Kabaddi League has not been easy. I was just looking for one chance when I entered PKL for the first time in Season 2. And now I am the most successful defender in PKL. It's difficult for an Indian to become a star in PKL, so imagine how difficult it would be for a foreign player. Sometimes, I can't believe I hold so many records in this competition."
Preview for matches on Thursday:
The Bengal Warriors' Captain Maninder Singh put up a brilliant performance to help his team record a 32-30 victory over the Bengaluru Bulls in their first match of the season on December 4, 2023. The Warriors will be banking on Maninder when they take on the Jaipur Pink Panthers. However, the Jaipur side has talented defenders in Sunil Kumar and Ankush, who will pose a strong challenge to the Warriors.
Meanwhile, the Gujarat Giants will be looking to register their fourth successive victory when they go up against the Patna Pirates in the last match of the Ahmedabad leg. However, the Pirates, who have experienced players such as Neeraj Kumar and Sachin, will be looking to attain momentum before the Bengaluru leg.
Schedule for the PKL Season 10 match on Thursday:
Game 1: Bengal Warriors vs Jaipur Pink Panthers - 8 pm
Game 2: Gujarat Giants vs Patna Pirates - 9 pm.