Franchise-based leagues being the flavour of the season, Bengal Warriors, the Kolkata outfit of the upcoming Pro Kabaddi, today unveiled 12-member squad with Surjeet Singh as the captain.
The 2013 Asian Indoor Games gold medallist will lead the side with three foreigners -- South Korean duo of Jang Kun Lee and Seong Ryelo Kim and Iran's Farhad Kamal Gharibi in the July 26-August 31 league.
Bengal Warriors bought the Services lad for 12 lakh as each team had a cap of Rs 60 lakh for the Rs 1 crore prize money league.
"We have a balanced team and we're committed to bring back the lost glory of city's kabaddi," coach Raj Narain Sharma, who guided Rajasthan to the senior national title earlier this year, said while unveiling the team logo today.
Pro Kabaddi will follow a 'caravan-style' format, similar to that of the Indian Badminton League, in which the league will travel to all the eight franchise cities in the first stage where each team will take on the other side twice.
Mumbai will flag off the competition before the league travel to Kolkata. Netaji Indoor Stadium will host eight teams from July 30-August 2 before its culmination in Bengaluru, which will host the semifinals and summit clash.
The Future Group, who are the owners of the franchise, hoped the Pro Kabaddi will bring in the long overdue glamour and glitz to the sport.
"Besides cricket, India are world champions in kabaddi. I'm sure the league will herald a new era for the sport. We're proud to be associated with a state which has produced four Arjuna awardees, the second highest after Maharashtra," team CEO Sandip Tarkas of the Future Group said.
A joint initiative of industrialist Anand Mahindra and sports commentator Charu Sharma, the league has Star TV as their television partners, as the network has allotted an open window during the period.
The Squad:
Raiders: Surjeet Singh (captain, Services), Nitin Madane (Mumbai), Sanjay Sharma (Rajasthan), Jang Kun Lee (South Korea), Mahesh Goud (Karnataka); Defenders: Nilesh Shinde (Maharashtra), Farhad Kamal Gharibi (Iran), Seong Ryeol Kim (South Korea), Sachin Khambe (Maharashtra), Parveen Kumar (MP), Shyam Saha (Bengal); Allrounder: Hitesh Patel (Gujarat); Coach: Raj Narain Sharma (Rajasthan).
