Fazel Atrachali

Fazel Atrachali is an Iranian defender who has spent more than a decade as one of the biggest names in the Pro Kabaddi League. A left corner standing 6 ft tall, he is the highest-scoring defender in PKL history. In Season 12 he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player after helping Dabang Delhi K.C. win the title.

Early life

Atrachali began playing kabaddi at the age of 11 in his hometown of Gorgan in Iran. Before the PKL, he worked as a blacksmith there as a side profession, and he enjoys wrestling in his free time.

PKL career

He made his debut for U Mumba in Season 2, playing five matches, and was a more prominent figure in Season 3, finishing as U Mumba’s second-highest scoring defender. His breakthrough came with Patna Pirates in Season 4: 52 tackle points in 16 matches, the most in the league that season, along with the title and the Best Defender award.

In Season 5 he joined Gujarat and led them to the final, where they lost to Patna Pirates. U Mumba re-signed him for Season 6 and made him captain. He scored 83 tackle points that season and 82 in Season 7, when he was named Best Defender for a second time and led the side to the semi-finals. Atrachali, Manjeet Chhillar and Mohammadreza Chiyaneh are the only players to have won the Defender of the Tournament award twice.

Puneri Paltan signed him for Season 9 and reached the final, losing to Jaipur Pink Panthers. He returned to Gujarat Giants for Season 10, then moved to Bengal Warriorz for Season 11. On 29 October 2024, against Puneri Paltan, he became the first player in PKL history to reach 500 tackle points.

Across 11 seasons, official PKL data credits him with 612 points from 207 matches, including 597 tackle points and 36 High 5s.

Season 12

Dabang Delhi K.C. picked him up for his base price of 30 lakh. He played 19 matches, scoring 55 points (52 tackle) with four High 5s and a tackle strike rate of 54%. As vice captain, he also led the side in a few matches as Delhi won the championship, and he was named MVP.

International career

Atrachali has won four Asian Games medals: gold at Jakarta 2018, when he captained Iran, and silver at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2023. He was also part of the Iran team that lost the World Cup final to India. He has been named captain of Iran’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which will be his fifth Asian Games.

Style of play

A left corner, Atrachali is valued as much for leadership as for his tackling, and has been known to mould young teams into title contenders. He has spoken warmly of the league’s impact: “Pro Kabaddi has totally changed my life,” he said, adding that facing strong teams every week pushed him to improve.

Statistics and team history: Pro Kabaddi League.