Iran players to miss initial games of Pro Kabaddi League 2022, here’s why

12 teams in the Pro Kabaddi League 2022 are facing a huge problem with only a few hours left at the start of the tournament. Apparently, it is reported that nine Iranian players, who are part of different teams are currently facing visa issues. This means that the players are set to miss the initial games of the ninth season. Notably, some of these players arrived in India for the pre-season camp.

They went back to their homeland before coming back ahead of the season. However, it seems as if they would take a longer break than expected. This means that the teams will now be playing without some of the best players at the start of the season. This development has had a great impact on Puneri Paltan. They signed two players – Fazel Atrachali [₹1.38 crore] and Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh [₹87 lakh].

The duo has been one of the defenders in the history of the tournament. Not to forget, Fazel was appointed the captain of the Paltans for the upcoming season. He won the title with U Mumba in PKL2. On the other hand, Nabibakhsh led Bengal Warriors to the title in PKL7. Furthermore, three-time winners Patna Pirates will miss their superstar defender Mohammadreza Shadloui. He was the only overseas player retained by the team.

Also, Haryana Steelers will miss their top defender Amirhossein Bastami. As reported by ESPN.in, they reached the organizers, Mashal Sports for comment. The organizers are yet to make a comment.

List of teams with Iranian players

Bengal Warriors – Soleiman Pahlevani
Dabang Delhi – Reza Katoulinezhad
Haryana Steelers – Amirhossein Bastami, Mohammad Maghsoudlou
Jaipur Pink Panthers – Reza Mirbagheri
Patna Pirates – Mohammadreza Shadloui
Puneri Paltan – Fazel Atrachali, Mohammad Nabibakhsh
Telugu Titans – Hamid Nader, Mohsen Jafari
U Mumba – Heidarali Ekrami, Gholamabbas Korouki
UP Yoddha – Abozar Mighani