Top 5 foreign players of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3

Indian players hogged the limelight at the recently-concluded Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League Season 3, but the foreign imports were not far behind. A host of Iranians gave a glimpse of their innate talent and fighting spirit as did the effervescent South Korean Jang Kun Lee.While Lee raided with authority, the Iranians led by national captain Fazel Atrachali mostly exhibited their skills in defence. With the influx of so many foreigners who could play at the highest level, the league is truly going global.Here’s a look at five of the most impressive foreign players at Star Sports Pro Kabaddi season 3:

#5 Mohammad Maghsoudlou (Iranian, Jaipur Pink Panthers)

The fourth player from the Iranian brigade to have joined the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3 in 2015 is 25-year-old Mohammad Maghsoudlou. The all-rounder, who was purchased by former champions Jaipur Pink Panthers for Rs. 7 lakh, has played only a paltry number of matches this season, but still succeeded in making an impact.

It was against the Telugu Titans in Pune that the Iranian could show his full potential. By grabbing 5 points through fiery raids, he emerged as the joint top-scorer for the AbhishekBachchan-owned side that night.

He wrapped up Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3 with 8 successful raids at the rate of 0.8 per match in his limited appearances. Following the kind of displays he put out, we are sure to see a lot more of him in the coming seasons.

#4 Meraj Sheykh (Iranian, Telugu Titans)

Merak Sheykh — Meraj Sheykh vies to hold Kashiling Adake

Meraj Sheykh began practising kabaddi at the age of 18 in the historical Iranian town of Sistan which is considered a hotbed for the sport. It is, thus, no surprise that the 27-year-old, who was bought for Rs 20.1 lakh in 2015, impressed all kabaddi enthusiasts in Season 3.

Meraj is an all-rounder and his naturally aggressive tactics, even in defence proved to be a boon at Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3. He put up an exhilirating show in the Telugu Titans’ win against the Jaipur Pink Panthers at Pune, scoring 7 points in raids and 4 in tackles that included a super tackle.

He finished this season with 18 successful tackles and 20 successful raids.

#3 Hadi Oshtorak (Iranian, Patna Pirates)

Iranian Hadi Oshtorak, who was sold for a whopping Rs 21.1 lakh last season, showed his class in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3 as he turned out for eventual champions Patna Pirates. His quality grappling strengthened the Sandeep Narwal-led defensive unit even further. The 23-year-old's strategy of quietly sneaking in beneath the raider and grabbing his ankles paid rich dividends.

There’s no doubt that the quick-thinking Iranian was a wise addition to the Pirates team during their title-winning campaign. He accounted for 17 successful tackles and certainly was one of the best foreign players in the pan-India league.

#2 Jang Kun Lee (South Korean, Bengal Warriors)

Jang Kun Lee has been one of the most outstanding and consistent performers for the Bengal Warriors ever since he joined the Kolkata franchise in 2014. This season was no exception as he made 64 successful raids and amassed 79 raid points – the fifth-most among all raiders in Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3.

Along with the young Nitin Tomar, this affable 23-year-old led the Bengal attack to great effect this season. Lee’s ability to constantly improvise and adapt to changes helped him when he had to take up the responsibility of being the leading raider during Tomar’s absence.

His eight-point haul brought a victory against the Telugu Titans at Patna while he also inspired the team to stamp their authority over former champions Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Pink City.

During the 3rdplace play-off, Lee emerged as the fiercest raider from the Kolkata side as he collected 9 points.

#1 Fazel Atrachali (Iranian, U Mumba)

Despite being with the U Mumba side since last season, it was in this edition where Iranian skipper Fazel Atrachali announced himself to the kabaddi fans in India. His rigid defence and staunch determination impressed one and all as the man who has been playing the game since the age of 11 showed how good he could be given an opportunity

With deadly ankle holds, the 23-year-old joined forces with Mohit Chhillar to keep a tight ship at the back for U Mumba. That was largely why the Mumbai team was able to claw their way back to level the score against the Patna Pirates in the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi Season 3 final.

Fazel completed 32 successful tackles and his percentage was a whopping 69.56 in Season 3.

Edited by Staff Editor