The Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad will be the venue for VIVO Pro Kabaddi’s first-ever All Star match on July 13 as an Indian 7 side will square off against a World 7 team in a one-off match. A first of its kind, Saturday’s clash between the star-studded teams will give us a taste of what to expect from the much-awaited Season 7 VIVO Pro Kabaddi.

With the start of Season 7 just a week away, the All Star clash serves as the perfect opportunity for a few stars to get some match-practice against high quality opponents. The plethora of top-quality players on show means that fans can expect some entertaining and action-packed kabaddi with both teams boasting a host of gamechangers.

The Indian 7 is set to be led by Tamil Thalaivas captain Ajay Thakur and is coached by Balwan Singh. With the likes of Maninder Singh, ‘King’ Pardeep Narwal and last season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) ‘Hi-flyer’ Pawan Sehrawat also in the ranks; it’s safe to assume that the World 7 will need to defend diligently to have any chance of success.

Deepak Hooda and Sandeep Narwal are also a part of the Indian contingent with both all-rounders capable of contributing in attack as well as defence. On the defensive front, experienced campaigners like Surjeet, Ravinder Pahal and Girish Ernak have been entrusted to keep opposition raiders at bay.

The World 7, on the other hand, will be eager to make a statement of their own and have a well-equipped team to do that. They will be led by Iranian powerhouse Fazel Atrachali and are being coached by E P Rao. Even without Atrachali, the World 7 have enough firepower within their ranks to take the encounter to the Indians.

All-rounder Mohammad Nabibaksh, who’ll be making his VIVO Pro Kabaddi bow this year, will be one of his team’s biggest raiding threats along with Jang Kun Lee. In defence, the trusted duo of Atrachali and Abozar Mohajermighani will be shouldering most of the responsibility, making for a fascinating contest featuring kabaddi’s crème de la crème.