Pro Kabaddi 2019: U Mumba pick Iran's Fazel Atrachali as captain; Surjeet Singh to lead Puneri Paltan

Mumbai: The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) franchise U Mumba on Wednesday announced Iranian player Fazel Atrachali as their skipper for the seventh season, while Maharashtra rivals Puneri Paltan chose to go with Surjeet Singh as captain. [caption id=“attachment_7011631” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Fazel Atrachali. Twitter@U_Mumba[/caption] The franchise also named Sandeep Narwal as the vice-captain for the season, beginning on 20 July in Hyderabad. “I am quite motivated to be selected to lead the U Mumba Kabaddi team. I aim to lead the team towards victory,” Atrachali was quoted as saying in a media release. “Strategy and discipline are very important and I know that all the players are motivated to give in their best on field and make a mark for themselves and eventually win the league,” he said. Narwal, who hails from Sonipat in Haryana, feels as a vice-captain, he would want to implement strategies. “The use of strategy is very important, in fact more important than just winning. As vice-captain, I want to implement and practice more strategies to gain control on our movements which will eventually help in winning matches,” said Narwal. Surjeet Singh to take Pune to glory Singh, a defender, was part of the Puneri Paltan in Season 3, and Pune head coach Anup Kumar said he was sure to drive the team to glory. “Surjeet is a valuable asset to the team and he will definitely drive the team towards glory. He has an experience of leading the team and I have faith that his leadership capabilities will take us a long way in this season,” Kumar said. “With the current squad and a leader like Surjeet, I am confident that this season we will put up a stellar show,” he added. Singh said he was humbled by the decision to appoint him as the captain. “This is my second stint with Puneri Paltan after season 3 and with a comeback, nothing is better than getting an opportunity to lead the team,” he said. “Under Anup sir’s guidance, we have been training extensively to give our best performance for the league and we are all ready to set the mat on fire,” he added. U Mumba kick off their campaign on 20 July itself when they take on Telugu Titans in the lung-opener of the league, while Puneri Paltan will be playing its first match against Haryana Steelers on 22 July.