Pro Kabaddi | Seven Iranian players in PKL 8 who are proving their mettle

Such has been their presence that some of them have actually managed to outshine their Indian counterparts in the current edition of the PKL. All these Iranians playing in the PKL can go on and become a fearsome unit come the Asian Games 2022. SportsCafe takes a look at the seven players from PKL 8, who could be part of the Iran team and challenge India.

In the next season, he played for Gujarat Giants and scored a total of 57 points, with three super tackles and five high 5s, having an amazing high tackle strike rate of 57.57 in just 24 matches. Come season 7, he secured 82 points and was once again the best defender and led the team to the semi-finals where they lost to Bengal Warriors. 

Currently, playing with Gujarat Giants primarily as a defender, he has been in the league since the second season! In the first season, he played for the Telugu Titans and had only played 4 matches with not much of an impact. After a few unimpressive seasons, he was signed with U Mumba and had a breakout year when he played 16 matches and earned 20 points along the way. In the next two seasons, he played for the Gujarat Fortunegiants and Patna Pirates and scored his career-high in points for the latter -- 48. 

Abozar Mighani (Bengal Warriors)

Mohammad Esmael Nabibaksh (Bengal Warriors)

The all-rounder made his debut in the PKL during the previous season. He was signed as the costliest foreign player for 77.75 lakhs. His versatile brilliance played a crucial role in the Bengal Warriors lifting the trophy. Maninder Singh, the captain of Bengal Warriors had injured himself due to which he had to take the role of captain. Even after the added pressure in the semi-final and final he lived up to the expectation and helped them reach the top. In season 7, he had a total of 122 points. As an allrounder, he had 75 successful raids to his name. He was even huge on the defensive end with 28 successful tackles, 2 super tackles, and 1 high 5.

Currently playing with the Bengaluru Bulls, Maghsoudlou played for the first time in the PKL in season 6. Amongst all his other seasons, he has truly outperformed all other members with a 68% raid strike rate for Patna Pirates where he won them the title that season. This was truly their moment of glory. Standing at a height of over six feet, Abolfazl effectively uses his height to steal easy raid points. He has been observed as a deceptively quick player who can immediately extend his long limbs to reach the midline when being tackled to the ground.

Mohammadreza Chiyaneh (Patna Pirates)

Mohammad Mahalli (Haryana Steelers)

Although the world has not seen much of Mahalli, still he is one of the better raider to come from Iran. In 2019, his debut season, he managed to score 52 points from 20 matches he played. In that too, it must be noted, he did not get enough opportunities to prove his mettle. This year too, he has been more of a substitute player, and has four points from three matches.