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The Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction completed on August 16 in Mumbai. The two-day event saw several players from different parts of the world earn contracts from the 12 PKL franchises.
One of the best things about the Pro Kabaddi League is that the teams have to compulsorily buy a minimum of two overseas players. This rule guarantees some much needed exposure to the foreign players.
Each PKL team has at least two overseas names, and here's a ranking of all the 12 franchises based on the foreigners in their squad after the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction.
#12 Bengaluru Bulls
The Bengaluru Bulls generally do not invest big in foreign talent. Coach Randhir Singh Sehrawat has signed a couple of Thai players for the upcoming PKL season. Raider Pramot Saising and right corner defender Hasun Thongkruea are the two foreigners in Bulls squad.
Both players received a contract worth ₹13 lakh each. They do not have much PKL experience, and considering the Indian talent present in Bulls squad, it seems unlikely the Thai duo would get any games.
#11 Dabang Delhi KC
There was a time when Iranian all-rounder Meraj Sheykh was the main player of the Dabang Delhi KC. However, the franchise will majorly rely on Indian talent in season 11 because the current Delhi squad features inexperienced foreigners.
The season eight champions spent a total of ₹26.5 lakh to sign Bangladeshi raider Mohammad Mijanur Rahman and Iranian defender Mohammad Baba Ali. None of the two players have PKL experience.
#10 Puneri Paltan
Last season, the Puneri Paltan had the league's best defender Mohammadreza Shadloui in their team. However, due to auction purse issues, the franchise had to let go of their Iranian star, who has now joined the Haryana Steelers.
Pune's two overseas players for season 11 are Amir Hassan Noroozi and Ali Hadi from Iran. While Amir is an all-rounder, Ali is a defender. Both players may warm the benches due to their inexperience.
#9 Tamil Thalaivas
The Tamil Thalaivas fought a bidding war to sign defender Amirhossein Bastami, who earned 22 points in 15 matches for them last season. The Chennai-based franchise eventually secured Bastami's services for ₹16 lakh.
While Bastami has shown promise in the past, his compatriot Moein Safaghi will play for the Thalaivas for the first time. Moein's profile states that he is an all-rounder. It will be interesting to see how he performs in his debut PKL season.
#8 Telugu Titans
The Telugu Titans have two capped PKL overseas players in their squad. The Titans re-signed Iranian all-rounder Milad Jabbari, who scored 35 points in 13 matches for them last season.
The second foreigner in the Titans squad is Mohammad Malak, who won the title with the Dabang Delhi KC in season eight. Malak is a defender, who earned five points in four matches at a tackle strike rate of 44 percent.
#7 UP Yoddhas
The UP Yoddhas also have two such foreigners who have played in the PKL before. The first name in the Yoddhas squad is of Iranian defender Mohammadreza Kaboudrahangi, who earned 19 points in just six games for the Tamil Thalaivas last season.
The second overseas name in the Yoddhas squad is also from Iran. He is raider Heidarali Ekrami, who turned up for the U Mumba last season. Ekrami earned only 17 points in 10 matches for the U Mumba. The Yoddhas will hope for a better performance from him.
#6 Patna Pirates
Jang Kun Lee and Hamid Nader were the two foreign players signed by the Patna Pirates at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Korean raider Lee needs no introduction. He is the most successful Korean player in PKL history, but he will participate in the league for the first time after the 2019 season.
Meanwhile, Nader managed only 20 points in 18 matches for the Telugu Titans last season. The duo of Lee and Nader will have to bring their 'A' game to the table to make a difference while playing for the Pirates.
#5 Jaipur Pink Panthers
Two-time PKL champions Jaipur Pink Panthers retained their Iranian defender Reza Mirbhageri before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Reza did a fantastic job for Jaipur last season, earning 60 tackle points in 22 matches.
The second foreign player of Jaipur is Iranian raider Amirhossein Mohammadmaleki. Even he was with Jaipur last season, and he scored three points in the only game that he played.
#4 Bengal Warriorz
The Bengal Warriorz have signed the league's most successful defender Fazel Atrachali for the upcoming season. The season seven winners secured Fazel's services for just ₹50 lakh at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction.
While Fazel will one of the key players for Bengal, the team's other overseas player Chia Ming Chang does not have much PKL experience. The Taiwanese raider played one game for Bengal last season, where he failed to open his account.
#3 Gujarat Giants
Two-time finalists Gujarat Giants have assembled a solid Iranian duo of Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Vahid Rezaeimehr for the upcoming season. Considering that Gujarat's raiding attack is stacked, experienced all-rounder Nabibakhsh will likely play as a defender for them.
Vahid won the PKL 10 trophy with Puneri Paltan last season. The Iranian defender showed promise by scoring six points in five matches for the Pune-based franchise.
#2 U Mumba
Season two champions U Mumba retained their star Iranian raider Mohammadamir Zafardanesh before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Zafardanesh was quite impressive in his debut PKL season, and the U Mumba fans will hope he continues in the same vein.
The team's second overseas player is Amir Ghorbani, a defender from Iran, who will play in the PKL for the auction. Amir seems a talented player because multiple franchises showed interest in him at the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction before U Mumba signed him for ₹14 lakh.
#1 Haryana Steelers
The Haryana Steelers became the new home of the best foreign player in Pro Kabaddi right now - Mohammadreza Shadloui. The season 10 finalists went all out for the Iranian all-rounder and acquired his services for ₹2.07 crore.
Shadloui won the Best Defender award in PKL 10, and his raiding skills are top notch as well. The second foreign player of Haryana Steelers is Nepalese raider Ghanshyam Roka Magar, who was retained before the Pro Kabaddi 2024 Auction. Because of Shadloui's presence, Haryana rank first on this list.
