Despite being a sport in which India rules the roost at the international level, the foreign flavour of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League makes the competition all the more exciting. The league attracts foreign stars from all over Asia and even Africa. Although limited in number, the international players became an important cog in the wheel of many a team and also dished out memorable performances in the first three seasons of the kabaddi league to underline their importance.
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Apart from the homegrown talent on display in the Pro Kabaddi League, these will be biggest overseas names to look out for in the 4th edition of the season.
1. Hadi Oshtorak, Iran
Hadi Oshtorak became the Pro Kabaddi League's costliest player in 2015 when he was signed for Rs 21.1 lakh by the Telugu Titans during the international draft for the second season. The fact that in a sport where India reigns supreme, an overseas name managed to pip all the home talent to become the most lucrative buy tells something about the Iranian.
And if anything was left to say, his performances with the Telugu Titans spoke well enough. Playing as an all-rounder, Oshtorak was effective in the defence for his franchise. In the 14 matches played, the 24-year-old made 23 successful tackles, trapping the raiders with his pinning moves.
This year the big Iranian has been snapped by Patna Pirates and will be manning the defence for Patna with country mate Fazel Atrachali.
2. Jang Kun Lee, South Korea
Jang Kun Lee was one of the first foreign players to sign for the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). The innocuous looking Lee, who hails from South Korea, has been amazingly consistent with the Bengal Warriors, a team for whom consistency is not the strongest suit.
His raids have been hailed by anyone who has watched the Korean in action. Besides his raids which, have made heads turn, his defending abilities aren’t too far behind either.
The star raider for Bengal has become a crowd favorite from being an unknown quantity in his first season. In the 40 matches he has played for Bengal, Lee has accrued 182 raid points for his team, making 139 successful raids in the process.
His quick footedness makes him a headache for any defence. Lee will be hoping to take a new look Bengal Warriors to their first ever title in this season.
3. Fazel Atrachali, Iran
U Mumba pulled out a rabbit out of the hat when they unleashed Iranian import Fazel Atrachali on the opposition in the third season of the Pro Kabaddi League. Although a part of the U Mumba unit since the second season, the Iranian national team captain could only find a place in the team when Surender Nada had to leave for national duty for the South Asian Games.
With Mohit Chillar and Rishank Devadiga, Atrachali formed a lethal combination and pinned one raider after another with his ferocious thigh holds, ankle holds, blocks and dashes.
Such was the charm of the Iranian that Surender Nada had to warm the bench after he returned from national duty. In just 16 matches, Atrachali has 41 successful tackles to show against his name.
However, last year’s champions Patna Pirates will enjoy the services of the Iranian as he was bought by the franchise for a whopping Rs 38 lakh in the auction ahead of the fourth season.
4. Meraj Sheykh, Iran
Another Iranian who has lit up the league is the 28-year-old Meraj Sheykh. Sheykh will be seen in Delhi colours this season after stellar performances with the Telugu Titans where the all-rounder formed a formidable partnership with the poster boy of Indian Kabaddi, Rahul Chaudhari.
Meraj is one of the most experienced foreigners in the league and was even handed the captaincy armband by his ex-franchise the Telugu Titans for a while in the second season. Meraj is lightning quick across the mat which helps him a great deal in both tackling and raiding.
The numbers speak volumes of what Meraj brings to the table. With 38 successful raids and 27 successful tackles in 29 matches, Sheykh has made himself a name to reckon with in the league and will hope to turn around a struggling Dabang Delhi’s fortunes with another star Kashiling Adake.
