Pro Kabaddi League: Atrachali named captain of Gujarat Giants for PKL 2023

One of India's most loved sports, Kabaddi, will be back soon with the 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League, which begins in the city of Ahmedabad. And ahead of the big day, Ahmedabad and Gujarat's very own team, the Gujarat Giants, have announced Fazel Atrachali as the captain for the side while Rohit Gulia is the vice-captain. The team is coached by the astute tactician and experienced coach Ram Mehar Singh.

The Gujarat Giants have been finalists twice, in 2017 and 2018, and will be keen to join an elite group of teams by bagging the prestigious PKL title. Co-incidentally, in the 2017 campaign, Fazel was part of the Giants squad that reached the final. The 31-year-old defender has been a two-time winner of the PKL and a three-time Asian Games medallist and will look to use all his experience at the highest level to lead the charge for the Giants.

"In the PKL season 10, among all the players, Fazel is one of the most decorated players and he has won a lot of medals in his career. I have worked with Fazel before, and he is a great player, and in our mind, he was our clear choice for the captaincy for Adani's Gujarat Giants," said Ram Mehar Singh, Coach of Gujarat Giants.

With the likes of Rakesh and Parteek Dahiya showing plenty of promise, and the return of Fazel, the Gujarat Giants have a fair amount of talent in their ranks. Along with them, there are also the likes of Rohit and Sourav Gulia, Vikash Jaglan, Arkam Shaikh, GB More and the Iranian all-rounder Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh. With such great talent and experience at their disposal, the Gujarat Giants will aim for a solid start to the season.

Head coach Ram Mehar Singh said that the team, which had been based out of New Delhi, had been doing everything possible to ensure they peak at the right time and are in form.

"Gujarat Giants is a very big team and it is my pleasure to be back in the team. I am delighted to be leading the team and, in the squad, we have a lot of youngsters. I know we all work well together and as a captain that makes my job easier. And I am happy about how things are shaping up," said Fazel Atrachali.

The Gujarat Giants will begin their season with a game against Telegu Titans on December 2, which is the opening day of the tournament. All the games in Ahmedabad will be played at The TransStadia. The 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League also marks a return to the caravan format after three years.