Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh return as Iran name star-studded 14-man squad for Asian Games 2023 preparation

Iran announced a star-studded 14-man squad for the 2023 Asian Games preparation camp featuring big names like Fazel Atrachali and Mohammad Nabibakhsh. U Mumba coach Gholamreza Mazandarani will be the head coach at this camp.

Asian Games will happen later this year in China. Kabaddi is one of the major events of this competition. Iran are the defending champions in men's kabaddi. They beat Korea in the finals in 2018 to clinch the gold medal.

To ensure that Iran retains the gold medal in men's kabaddi, the administrators have organized a preparation camp for Asian Games 2023. Here is the list of 14 men who will train for the mega event:

Iran squad for Asian Games 2023 preparation camp: Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Esmail Nabibakhsh, Mohammad Kazem Nasari, Ali Reza Mirzaein, Hamid Nader, Reza Mirbhageri, Mohammad Reza Kaboudrahangi, Amin Ghorbani, Amir Mohammad Zafardanesh, Moeen Shafiq, Mohammad Reza Shadlu, Vahid Rezaeimehr, Milad Jabbari, Amir Hossain Bastami and Heilder Ali Ekrami.

Apart from Gholamreza Mazandarani, the Iran support staff features Vahid Kharghani as an assistant coach, Rouhllah Aghasi as manager, and Vajhollah Shahari as the fitness coach.

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Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Fazel Atrachali are not the only Pro Kabaddi League stars present in Iran's squad

Mohammad Reza Shadlu is also a part of the Iran squad (Image: PKL)

Iran's squad features several Pro Kabaddi League stars. While defender Fazel Atrachali and all-rounder Mohammad Esmail Nabibakhsh are the biggest names in the team, the squad also features Mohammad Reza Shadlu, who has been one of the best defenders in recent PKL seasons.

Rising stars Heider Ali Ekrami, Amirhossein Bastami, and Reza Mirbhageri also impressed in the last PKL season while playing for U Mumba, Haryana Steelers, and Jaipur Pink Panthers, respectively. It will be interesting to see which players make it to the final Iran squad for Asian Games 2023.