"Fazel was a very good defender, but Rakesh's speed is more than him, if you compare today"- Ram Mehar Singh comments on Gujarat Giants destroying Fazel Atrachali-led Puneri Paltan defense

Fazel Atrachali made his debut as the Puneri Paltan skipper last night in the team's Pro Kabaddi 2022 match against the Gujarat Giants. Fans expected a strong showing from the Iranian left corner defender. However, he managed to score only two tackle points.

Puneri Paltan suffered a 37-47 defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Giants. Gujarat's rising star Rakesh HS troubled Fazel Atrachali a lot last night. He got the better of the Pune captain thrice.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gujarat Giants coach Ram Mehar Singh commented on his team's big win against Puneri Paltan and said:

"Fazel was a very good defender, but Rakesh's speed is more than him, if you compare today. I was telling the same thing to him that he is much more quicker than him, so if you go for a bonus, he will come after you."

Rakesh HS scored 12 touch points and three bonus points against Puneri Paltan last night. He got Fazel out thrice and even completed a super raid after escaping an ankle-hold attempt from the Iranian player.

Fazel Atrachali will be in action on Pro Kabaddi 2022's Super Sunday

Puneri Paltan shelled out INR 1.38 crore to sign Fazel at the PKL 9 Auction (Image: PKL)

Fazel will return to action on Super Sunday, when Puneri Paltan locks horns with U Mumba in the first Maharastrian derby of the season. Pune are one of the three winless teams in PKL 2022 so far.

After the Pro Kabaddi 2022 auction, most of the fans picked Puneri Paltan as one of the favorites to win. However, the Pune-based franchise have not lived up to their expectations in the tournament. It will be interesting to see if they can snap their winless streak on Sunday against U Mumba.

Will Puneri Paltan defeat U Mumba on Sunday? Share your answers in the comments box below.