India is all set to catch volleyball fever as a number of Indian and international stars are set to be acquired by the seven franchises - the Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes and the Kolkata Thunderbolts in the Prime Volleyball League Auction in Kochi on Tuesday.
The auction is the largest ever in volleyball, with over 400 players up for grabs. Each of the franchises can select a total of 14 players for their squads, which would include 12 Indian and 2 international players.
The biggest Indian volleyball stars, which include Ashwal Rai, Ajithlal C, Akhin GS, Deepesh Kumar Sinha, Jerome Vinith, Karthik A, Naveen Raja Jacob and Vinit Kumar have been slotted in the Platinum Category, while the Gold, Silver and Bronze Categories will feature 33, 141 and 205 players respectively.
A total of 23 players will also go under the hammer in the U-21 Category. A host of international stars, which include David Lee (USA) and Luis Antonio Arias Guzman (Venezuela), will feature in the Prime Volleyball League International Player Draft during the auction on Tuesday.
Speaking about the Prime Volleyball League Auction, Tuhin Mishra, Co-Founder & MD, Baseline Ventures, said, "It's our endeavour to provide a platform to talented volleyball players to showcase their skills and develop a successful career in volleyball and we are looking forward to witnessing the franchises construct their squads at the auction on Tuesday. We wish all the franchises the very best of luck."
Joy Bhattacharya, CEO, Prime Volleyball League said, "There are a number of immensely talented emerging volleyball players in India, and we are delighted to provide them with the opportunity to play alongside some of the biggest Indian and international volleyball. The Prime Volleyball League Auction is the start of the volleyball revolution we have envisioned for India and we cannot wait for the action to unfold on Tuesday."
The Prime Volleyball League also announced the names of Head Coaches of each of the franchises for the upcoming season next year - Ahmedabad Defenders - Sajjad Hussain & S Dakshinamoorthy, Bengaluru Torpedoes - KR Lakshminarayana, Calicut Heroes - Kishor Kumar, Chennai Blitz - Chander Singh, Hyderabad Black Hawks - Ruben Wolochin, Kochi Blue Spikers - Dr M.H. Kumara and Kolkata Thunderbolts - Sunny Joseph.
The Prime Volleyball League will consist of 24 games and the League will shortly be announcing the schedule for the coming season of action.
( With inputs from ANI )
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