"Indians love Fazel Atrachali the way they love AB de Villiers"- Abhishek Singh talks about U Mumba skipper's popularity ahead of Pro Kabaddi 2021

U Mumba's new vice-captain Abhishek Singh compared his skipper Fazel Atrachali's popularity in India to former South African cricketer AB de Villiers' fan following.

Although De Villiers is not an Indian, he has a massive fan following in the country. Likewise Abhishek Singh believes that even though Fazel Atrachali is from Iran, he receives a lot of support from his fans in India.

During his appearance on Sportskeeda's show Kabaddi Hang-Out ahead of PKL 8, Abhishek Singh shared his views on Fazel Atrachali. When asked about his favorite overseas player in the Pro Kabaddi League, Abhishek replied:

"Indians love Fazel Atrachali the way they love AB de Villiers in the cricket world."

Singh was delighted to be retained by U Mumba for Pro Kabaddi 2021. India's rising star is keen to justify the team management's confidence in him by performing well in the upcoming season.

"It is a huge opportunity for me and would like to make the most out of it," said Abhishek Singh.

Abhishek Singh and Fazel Atrachali were the best players for U Mumba in Pro Kabaddi 2019

U Mumba reached Pro Kabaddi 2019 semi-finals under Fazel Atrachali's captaincy

U Mumba qualified for the Pro Kabaddi 2019 semi-finals because of Fazel Atrachali and Abhishek Singh's brilliant performances.

While the Iranian was the most successful defender of the season with 82 tackle points, Abhishek was one of seven players to score more than 160 raid points in the tournament.

U Mumba will kick off their Pro Kabaddi 2021 campaign against hosts Bengaluru Bulls at the Grand Sheraton Whitefield on December 22. The Mumbai-based franchise will look forward to starting their season with a victory.

It will be interesting to see how far U Mumba reach in the eighth edition of the Pro Kabaddi League.