Fazel Atrachali became the first ever Pro Kabaddi Player to enter the one-crore club after he was bought by UMumba. The Iranian went into the auction at a base price of Rs 20 lakh, registering a five-time increase in value to be bought at Rs 1 crore.
But four more players broke the one crore barrier later. Haryana Steelers made the highest bid of Rs 1.51 crore on raider Monu Goyat. Rahul Chaudhari was the second highest bid player by Delhi but retained by Telegu Titans via FBM for Rs 1.29 crore. Deepak Niwas Hooda was the third highest bid player, bought by Jaipur Pink Panthers for Rs 1.15 crore. Maharashtra player Rishank Devadiga was the fourth highest bid player, bought by Puneri Paltans for Rs 1.11 crore.
“We wanted to be strong in defence. We had an extremely strong defence in Season 1 and Season 2 and that was part of the reason why we bargained for Fazal so fiercely. Fazal is someone who has played with us and we are quite happy to have him back. We wanted to be sure that we got who we wanted rather than going right till the end and then have to hastily pick a player. You need a minimum of 2 international players, instead we picked 3.
“We are happy to have the former Iranian coach, Mr. Golan Raza as our coach and his insight helps us to cherry pick international talent right in the beginning,” UMumba Team Owner, Ronnie Screwvala, said.
“I am very happy to be back in my second home – UMumba. I have immense respect for the UMumba team because it is where it all began for me. The fact that I beat the record for the highest bid in VIVO Pro Kabaddi is truly an incredible feeling,” Atrachali said.
