Telugu Talons eye inaugural PHL title

Hyderabad: With seven players from Hyderabad, the Telugu Talons are aiming to lift the ongoing Premier Handball League’s (PHL) inaugural season.

The PHL is being held in Jaipur and will go on from June 8 to June 25.

The Talons are off to a good start, winning their first two games. Team owner Abhishek Reddy Kankanala, who is associated with various clubs in other sports, is confident about his team’s chances this season.

Kankanala said: “When I take the name ‘Telugu’ or ‘Telangana’ or ‘Hyderabad’, I represent the people of the Telugu states, this I deeply believe. So we have to go for a win (the tournament).”

Player profile

In all, the Talons have 14 Indian and three foreign players – two from Russia and one from the Philippines.

Kankanala reserves high praise for Davinder Bhullar, who plays in the left-back position, describing his strength to a powerful bull. In the past, Bhullar has won Gold for India in the 2016 South Asian Games held in Guwahati, and another Gold for India in the 2017 IHF Trophy held in Thailand. The seasoned India international was the Talon’s player of the match in the first two games.

Kankanala says team captain Shubham Sheoran is an ideal team leader who unites players, further calling him the team's glue. Shubham has also played for the Indian national side.

Kailash Patel is the team’s vice captain.

Another name doing the rounds is 17-year-old Rahul Nain. Nain is the team's youngest player. To his credit, Nain has won gold for Madhya Pradesh in Junior Nationals in 2023 and won silver for MP in Federation Cup 2023.

Preparation for season

“We as the management and the support system of the players are doing our best. Preparing ice baths and hot showers for players, looking after their training and recovery. We are focusing on it. And I am also confident because other teams practised for just two weeks before the tournament, we practised for a month before the tournament started. So we are hopeful of our chances,” said Abhishek.

The team is being coached by Fernando Nunes, who is from Portugal. Nunes is the only foreign coach in the PHL. Abhishek says Nunez brings vast experience from coaching several teams outside India.

Abhishek says he hopes the tournament is a big success as it is time for lesser known sports to come into the mainstream. In this endeavour, Abhishek has devoted time and resources in other sports. He is a part-owner of the Bengaluru Raptors (Premier Badminton League), Bengaluru Brawlers (annual national tournament), Hyderabad Black Hawks (Prime Volleyball League), Devpixel Devils Golf (Telangana Premier Golf League).