MUMBAI: The top 18 Indian players from the Prime Volleyball League including Karthik A. of Kochi Blue Spikers and Ashwal Rai of Kolkata Thunderbolts have been picked up to participate in the Maldivian Volleyball Season 2022, the international league hosted in country's capital in Male.
The other players that have been picked for the league are Vinit Kumar (Kolkata Thunderbolts), S.V Guruprashanth (Hyderabad Blackhawks), Ranjit Singh (Bengaluru Torpedoes), Shon T. John (Ahmedabad Defenders), Anu James (Kolkata Thunderbolts), John Joseph E.J (Hyderabad Blackhawks), Hardeep Singh (Ahmedabad Defenders), Mohit Bheem Sahrawat (Chennai Blitz), Akhin G.S. (Chennai Blitz), Mohd Riyassudin (Kolkata Thunderbolts), Vinayak Rokhade (Bengaluru Torpedoes), Muthusamy Appavu (Ahmedabad Defenders), Manu Joseph, Varun G.S (Bengaluru Torpedoes), Amit Gulia (Hyderabad Blackhawks), Amitsinh Tanwar (Chennai Blitz).
The 18 players will be distributed among the six best clubs of the Maldives that will be part of the league, with three international players each per club.
The Indian players' participation in the Maldives Volleyball Season has been facilitated as part of Baseline Ventures' deal with the Ministry of Youth Sports and Community Empowerment of Maldives.
The official draft was conducted in Male on Wednesday night in the presence of the Faisal Naseem, Vice President of the Maldives, Sports Minister of Maldives, Ahmed Mahloof and High Commissioner of India to Maldives, Munu Mahawar.
"As ambassadors of Indian volleyball, we feel extremely grateful for this opportunity," former India captain Karthik was quoted as saying in a release on Thursday.
Karthik also stressed the importance of foreign tours in developing Indian talent.
"We are undertaking numerous initiatives to professionalize volleyball in India, including ensuring that the best Indian players will have the chance to play in international competitions & leagues around the world. A total of 18 players participating in an international league is a first in the history of Indian volleyball," said Baseline Ventures MD, Tuhin Mishra.
