Pro Kabaddi 2021: Ranking all teams by foreigners in their squad

Pro Kabaddi 2021 will start on December 22 with a triple-header. Former champions Bengaluru Bulls and U Mumba will be in action in the first match of the tournament, while the second match will feature a battle between the Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans.

The day will end with a game between defending champions Bengal Warriors and Pardeep Narwal's UP Yoddha.

PKL will resume after a two-year break, much to the delight of kabaddi fans. This year, the organizers have made it mandatory for all 12 PKL teams to sign at least two overseas players each.

24 foreign players are thus set to participate in Pro Kabaddi 2021. In this listicle, we will rank the teams as per their overseas department's strength.

#12 Tamil Thalaivas - Anwar Saeed, Sandaruwan Asiri

Tamil Thalaivas have two Sri Lankan players in their Pro Kabaddi 2021 squad, namely all-rounder Anwar Saheed Baba and raider Sandaruwan Asiri. The franchise initially signed Bangladesh's Mohammad Tuhin Tarafder along with Baba but later replaced him with Asiri.

Neither Baba nor Asiri have played in the PKL before. It seems unlikely the Thalaivas will use them much in Pro Kabaddi 2021.

#11 Telugu Titans - Hyunsu Park and Tetsuro Abe

Korean raider Hyunsu Park and Japanese defender Tetsuro Abe are the two overseas players of Telugu Titans. Like Tamil Thalaivas, Telugu Titans are unlikely to rely on their foreigners much.

Abe and Park will likely get opportunities to play as substitute players only in Pro Kabaddi 2021.

#10 Jaipur Pink Panthers - Amirhossein Maleki, Amin Nosrati

Jaipur Pink Panthers signed two Iranian raiders - Amin Nosrati and Amirhossein Maleki ahead of the Pro Kabaddi 2021 season. None of the two raiders have the experience of playing in the PKL.

Maleki was with the Haryana Steelers for the seventh season, but he did not get a chance to showcase his skills.

#9 UP Yoddha - James Kamweti and Mohammad Taghi

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Kenyan raider James Kamweti and Iranian raider Mohammad Taghi Paein Mahali are the foreigners present in the UP Yoddha squad. They will be keen to have practice sessions with Pardeep Narwal.

While Kamweti is likely to warm the benches, Taghi may play a few games for UP Yoddha because he won PKL 7 with the Bengal Warriors.

#8 Dabang Delhi KC - Emad Sedaghatnia and Mohammad Malak

Dabang Delhi KC successfully bid for the services of Iranian raider Emad Sedaghatnia and his compatriot Mohammad Malak at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction. Emad played for Puneri Paltan last season, scoring seven points in one match.

While both Iranians are talented, it is unlikely they will play much for Dabang Delhi KC given the big names present in their Indian department.

#7 Patna Pirates - Daniel Odhiambo and Shadloui Chianeh

Patna Pirates could have made it to the top 2 of the list had they entered Pro Kabaddi 2021 with their original overseas picks. Patna made the most expensive overseas signing at the Pro Kabaddi 2021 auction by spending ₹31 lakh for the dangerous Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui Chianeh, who is a back-hold specialist.

Their second overseas player was Jang Kun Lee. Unfortunately, the Korean star will miss Pro Kabaddi 2021 and has been replaced by debutant all-rounder Daniel Odhiambo.

#6 Haryana Steelers - Mohammad Esmaeil and Hamid Nader

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Like the Dabangs, Haryana Steelers have signed two Iranian players for the Pro Kabaddi 2021 competition. The Haryana-based franchise recruited debutant Hamid Nader and former Patna Pirates star Mohammad Esmaeil.

Esmaeil performed well for the Pirates in Season 7, scoring 39 raid points and 13 tackle points. He will be keen to impress fans in Pro Kabaddi 2021.

#5 Gujarat Giants - Soleiman Pahlevani and Hadi Oshtorak

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Gujarat Giants also have two Iranian kabaddi players in their Pro Kabaddi 2021 squad. They are all-rounder Hadi Oshtorak and defender Soleiman Pahlevani.

While Soleiman will play his first season, Oshtorak has won the Pro Kabaddi League championship twice. The all-rounder has earned 124 points from 72 PKL appearances with three High 5s to his name.

#4 Puneri Paltan - Hadi Tajik and Victor Obiero

Puneri Paltan are one of the few franchises in Pro Kabaddi 2021, which has two overseas players with PKL experience. The Pune-based franchise retained its Iranian right-corner defender Hadi Tajik ahead of the auction.

Puneri Paltan added Kenyan all-rounder Victor Obiero to the team who impressed while playing for the Tamil Thalaivas the last two seasons. Pune undoubtedly have one of the strongest overseas duos in PKL 2021.

#3 Bengaluru Bullls - Abolfazl Maghsodlou and Dong Geon Lee

Another franchise with two experienced foreigners in its Pro Kabaddi 2021 squad is the Bengaluru Bulls. The Bulls signed Iranian star Abolfazl Maghsodloumahali and Korean raider Dong Geon Lee at the auction.

Both raiders have done well in the PKL before, and will look forward to supporting Pawan Sehrawat in the Bulls' raid attack.

#2 U Mumba - Fazel Atrachali and Mohsen Maghsoudlou

Former champions U Mumba are the only team to have an overseas captain in Pro Kabaddi 2021. Experienced corner defender Fazel Atrachali will lead the Mumbai-based franchise.

Atrachali was the league's best defender in Season 7. He will have the support of his compatriot Mohsen Maghsoudlou in the overseas section of U Mumba. Mohsen has 112 points to his name from 48 PKL games.

#1 Bengal Warriors - Abozar Mighani and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh

Defending champions Bengal Warriors undoubtedly have the strongest overseas duo in Pro Kabaddi 2021. Both Abozar Mighani and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh are likely to feature in the playing seven for all matches.

Mighani has been one of the most successful foreign defenders in the PKL history, while all-rounder Nabibakhsh played a huge role in Bengal's maiden PKL win in Season 7. All eyes will be on the Iranian duo when Bengal play their Pro Kabaddi 2021 matches.