Iranian duo strike it rich in Pro Kabaddi League draft

Hadi Oshtorak from Iran was bid by Telugu Titans, Hyderabad, for Rs.21.1 lakh at the international draft for the second season of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) held here on Monday, making him the highest priced contracted player of the tournament.

The bid amount for Oshtorak was 14 times more than the base price of Rs.1.5 lakh reserved for the draft while his compatriot Meraj Sheykh was also signed by Telugu Titans for Rs.20.1 lakh. Last year, the highest bid was for Rakesh Kumar who was signed for Rs.12.8 lakh by Patna Pirates.

In all, 14 international players were signed for the upcoming season of the eight-city league. A PKL team can have a maximum of four international players in their squad.

PKL, promoted by Mashal Sports and Star India with the backing of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and International Kabaddi Federation, had put out a list of 27 international players which went into the player draft pool for Season 2. The listed players included a mix of experienced and young promising talents from 13 countries.

"It's a great moment for the sport of kabaddi. The fact that Iranians are the two most prized players in PKL bears testament to the growth and acceptance of the game beyond India. The expansion of the global pool of players is a great step towards making kabaddi an Olympic sport," Telugu Titans owner Srini Sriramaneni said.

Charu Sharma of Mashal Sports said: "We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and response of the franchisees towards the international players' draft for Season 2 of PKL. We had received phenomenal feedback from kabaddi federations around the globe after the inaugural season which helped us attract the best of international players for the Season 2 draft.

"With quality, skill and talent to succeed in PKL, the abounding calibre of these international players will add depth and dimension to the existing team squads and help give the Indian sport of kabaddi an international flavour."