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Hadi Oshtorak fetches record price in PKL International players’ draft for Season 2
The international draft for the second season of Pro Kabaddi League, received tremendous response from the participating franchises, as 14 international players were signed up, kick starting the excitement for the upcoming season of the eight city league.
Pro Kabaddi League, 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 Kabaddi talent from 13 countries across the world.
Hadi Oshtorak from Iran was bid by Telugu Titans for Rs. 21.1 lakhs, making him the highest priced contracted player of Pro Kabaddi League. This was 14 times more than the base price of Rs 1.5 lakh reserved for the draft. Oshtorak’s Iranian team mate, Meraj Sheykh, was also signed by Telugu Titans for Rs. 20.1 lakhs marking a rich haul by the Hyderabad Franchise. Last year, the highest bid was for Rakesh Kumar who was signed for Rs. 12.8 lakhs by Patna Pirates.
Srini Sriramaneni, owner, Telugu Titans said, “It’s a great moment for the sport of Kabaddi. The fact that Iranians are the two most prized players in Pro Kabaddi League 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.”
Commenting on the international players’ draft, Charu Sharma, Mashal Sports, said, “We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and response of the franchisees towards the international players’ draft for season 2 of Pro Kabaddi League. We had received phenomenal feedback from Kabaddi federations around the globe after the inaugural season of PKL 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.”
The International players’ draft for Pro Kabaddi League Season 2 was aimed at providing the opportunity for each club to fill the key positions in their respective team. A PKL team can have a maximum of 4 international players in their squad. These international players will form an intrinsic part of each team’s line-up and be instrumental in raising the bar for Kabaddi as a sport in their respective countries.
