Pro Kabaddi League 2018 Season 6: 5 foreign players who should have been retained

As the country shapes up to celebrate the success of the Indian Premier League, Kabaddi fans will also have something extra to set the whispers going, with the list of big retentions coming out, ahead of the sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League, that is set to commence from the 19th of October 2018.

Ever since the inception of the league, the sport has given rise to some spectacular domestic talents, who have brushed shoulders with some of the finest players from across the globe.

The likes of Meraj Sheykh, Fazel Athrachali, amongst others, have stamped their dominance in the league and have made valiant contributions to their franchises.

While this year's retentions did not spring up too many surprises, the omission of some big names such as Anup Kumar, Rahul Chaudhari, Fazel Athrachali, and Abozar Mighani, have raised a couple of eyebrows.

Here are five notable foreign absentees from the retention list.

---

#5 Abolfazl Maghsoudlou

Abolfazl in action

The lanky raider, who was part of the Dabang Delhi outfit last season, was one of the bright sparks apart from, skipper Meraj Sheykh, in a lackluster season for the Delhi-based franchise, who finished with the wooden spoon with only five wins from 22 matches.

From 19 games he featured in, Abolfazl picked up 91 raid points, which made sure that Delhi was never out of the contest.

In addition to his crafty raiding, the Iranian also made his presence felt in the defence unit, assisting the likes of Meraj Sheykh, Bajirao Hodage, and Nilesh Shinde to add pressure on the opposition raider.

Having represented the Patna Pirates in Season 3 of the PKL, Abolfazl's bag of tricks when paired up his chemistry with Meraj Sheykh, will be useful for Delhi in the upcoming season.

#4 Farhad Milaghardan

Farhad (L) attempts a tackle

A man who is always at the top of his game, Farhad Milaghardan's energy was a major driving factor for the Telugu Titans' success last season.

Although he did not start in most encounters, his cameos as a substitute came across extremely well, as he excelled in both the raiding and defence departments.

From 18 appearances, Farhad picked 28 points, which comprised of 6 raid points, and 22 defensive points, from the right cover position.

The Iranian, who complimented the likes of Sombir and Vishal Bharadwaj, could have been retained along with teammate Mohsen Maghsouldou.

#3 Jang Kun Lee

Jang Kun Lee has not been retained by the Bengal Warriors

One of the most prominent raiders in the league, Jang Kun Lee's prowess on the raiding front has not gone unnoticed.

In the previous season, while representing the Bengal Warriors, the South Korean had a modest season by his own standards, registering 89 points from 21 games, playing under the shadow of Maninder Singh.

Retained ahead of the fifth season, Lee was expected to assert his dominance yet again with bouts of experience under his belt but an indifferent season.

However, given the fact that Lee is one of the leagues biggest players with 351 raid points from 72 games, it is indeed surprising that he was not retained by the Warriors.

#2 Abozar Mighani

Abozar attempts an ankle hold on U Mumba's Kuldeep Singh

A mainstay in the Gujarat defence unit, Abozar Mighani had a tremendous debut season in the Pro Kabaddi League, finishing as one of the leading defenders, with 65 tackle points from 24 games.

An unknown quality at the commencement of the league, the bulky Iranian burst into the scene with some serious talent, putting in fearless dives and holds to stop opposition raiders in their path.

An imperative part of the Gujarat defence alongside skipper Fazel Athrachali, Abozar's constant dominance was one of the major driving force behind Gujarat's success.

#1 Fazel Athrachali

Fazel Athrachali is one of the league's best foreign players

Picked as the 'priority player' as part of the Pro Kabaddi League draft for the fifth season, Fazel Athrachali was made the skipper of the Fortungiants for the season and for no small reason.

The left corner, who has had tremendous success in the past, was a major part of the Pirates' win in Season 3 and, the 'Fortungiants' management expected more of the same.

Fazel did bring his experience to the fore in crunch situations and in 24 matches, accumulated a total of 57 tackle points, including four High-5s.

Guarding the left corner, the Iranian had a good season and even led his team to the finals of the competition where they fell short to the Pirates.

An experienced campaigner, Fazel's understanding of the game coupled with his defensive instincts, could play a major role in shaping the Gujarat squad for the next season.