In a recent interview with Sportskeeda ahead of the PKL 8, the new U Mumba deputy skipper, Abhishek Singh believes the full-time skipper Fazel Atrachali might rival cricketing legends AB de Villiers in terms of popularity in India.
The South African has developed a huge fan base in India as a result of his outstanding batting ability on display for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. The Iranian Kabaddi maestro, Atrachali’s fame has risen in a similar manner. He is widely regarded as the greatest Pro Kabaddi League defender.
Although UM captain has rapidly become one of the current poster boys in India’s cash-rich PKL, he feels it is tough to become a successful player in a country like India, which has been a powerhouse of this game for several years.
Atrachali has been a game-changer for every side he’s lined up for in his career, beginning with his debut in the tournament U Mumba in the tournament’s second season.
No other defender has scored more tackle points than Atrachali since his season 2 debut. His 317 tackle points are 20 more than the next highest scorer, Ravinder Pahal, who had 297 during his career.
The strike rate of his tackle, which can be calculated by dividing the number of tackle points by the number of tackles attempted and multiplying by 100, may reveal more about his efficiency and skill more than anything else.
Atrachali has a 64.04 tackle strike rate, making him the only player in Pro Kabaddi’s top ten tackle point scorers with a strike rate above 60. Manjeet Chhillar comes in second with 54.58.
In addition, Atrachali ranks among the top four in every significant statistical defensive category in Pro Kabaddi history. Fazel’s average of 3.08 tackle points per game is second only to Manjeet Chhillar’s 3.14 among the top 10 tackle point scorers in the league.
Fazel Atrachali and Abhishek Singh’s outstanding efforts propelled U Mumba to the Pro Kabaddi 2019 semi-finals. The latter was one of seven players to achieve more than 160 raid points in the competition, while the Iranian was the most successful defender of the season with 82 tackle points.
Without the great Iranian, any list highlighting a player’s defensive dominance in Pro Kabaddi would be incomplete, demonstrating his immense effect on the league. The world is waiting for the new season to begin, and U Mumba fans have a big reason to be excited.
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