Irani Players Back To Action In Pro Kabaddi 2022

Pro Kabaddi 2022: A big boost for fans and franchises as the Irani players were back in action, who did not play the first week due to Visa issues. 

According to ESPN, the players travelled to Colombo, Sri Lanka, over the weekend owing to the lack of direct flights from Iran to India. "The players all stayed at the same hotel. As a backup plan, we even bought fake return tickets to Iran. The tickets were not needed since the Sri Lankan Kabaddi Federation provided assistance and the players received their visas quickly.

Shadloui was the only international player retained ahead of PKL9, and he was instrumental in Patna Pirates being runners-up last season.

Earlier, Shadloui, Fazel, and Nabibakhsh visited India last month for their teams' pre-season workouts but were forced to return to Iran since they were there on a tourist visa. Athletes with tourist visas are not permitted to compete in international events.

Their arrival now will provide a significant boost to the teams, particularly Puneri Paltan. The team paid over 2 crores to recruit its two Iranians, and their absence on the field has been felt notably Fazel's captaincy. 

 U Mumba's Heidarali Ekrami, Gholamabbas Korouki, and Jaipur Pink Panthers defender Reza Mirbagheri and Telugu Titans' Hamid Nader, Mohsen Jafari, landed on Bangalore on Wednesday

List of Irani Players:

Puneri Paltan - Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh

Patna Pirates - Mohammadreza Shadloui

Telugu Titans - Hamid Nader, Mohsen Jafari

UP Yoddha - Abozar Mighani

U Mumba - Heidarali Ekrami, Gholamabbas Korouki

Jaipur Pink Panthers - Reza Mirbagheri

Haryana Steelers - Amirhossein Bastami, Mohammad Maghsoudlou

Dabang Delhi - Reza Katoulinezhad

Bengal Warriors - Soleiman Pahlevani