Hernán Federico Pereyra headlines PVL Season 5 international line-up as Ahmedabad hosts Nov 30–Dec 23
Hernán Federico Pereyra and three other former Olympians lead a 29-player international contingent for Prime Volleyball League Season 5, which will be staged in Ahmedabad from November 30 to December 23.
Recognised by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) as India’s first division professional volleyball league, PVL will allow up to three international players per team for the first time this season. The organisers say the change is intended to build a stronger competitive landscape, raise the standard of the league and provide Indian players with greater opportunities to compete alongside international talent. Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, Prime Volleyball League, said, “Bringing players of this calibre to Season 5 reflects the progress the league has made in building a competitive platform for volleyball in India. “With PVL now recognised by the FIVB, introducing three international players per team for the first time is another important step in our journey to strengthen the competition. “Having Olympic medallists, Olympians and experienced international professionals competing alongside Indian players will raise the standard of competition and provide our domestic talent with valuable exposure. “We are looking forward to an exciting season in Ahmedabad and continuing to grow the sport across the country.”
Hernán Federico Pereyra, an Argentine universal who won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and also competed at London 2012, will represent the Telugu Black Hawks. He will be joined at the Telugu Black Hawks by Dominican Republic attacker Hector Alexis Cruz Cepin and Brazilian attacker Henrique Ferreira Meireles Guimaraes.
The Calicut Heroes’ international signings include Canadian Steven James Douglas Marshall, who competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and setter Brett James Walsh, who represented Canada at Paris 2024, with Cuban universal Brayan Francisco Valle García completing their overseas trio. The Goa Guardians have signed Egyptian universal and Egypt captain Reda Ibrahim Abdelnaby Afifi Haikal, who competed at Paris 2024, plus Japanese middle blocker Shunichiro Sato and American attacker Nathaniel John Dickinson.
Bengaluru Torpedoes have retained American setter Matthew A. West, who was part of their Season 4 title-winning campaign, and added American universal Brandon Michael Rattray while bringing back Australian attacker Thomas Alan Heptinstall. The Ahmedabad Defenders feature Iranian middle blocker Mehdi Jafaryan Vameh Del alongside Indonesian attackers Luvi Febrian Nugraha and Fahri Septian Putratama.
The Chennai Blitz have recruited French middle blocker Tanguy Vianney Dijoud, Colombian middle blocker Leandro Jose Mejia Ararat and attacker Zhantemir Zheenbek Uulu from the Kyrgyz Republic. The Delhi Toofans will field Colombian universal Willian Alejandro Bermudez Narvaez, Australian middle blocker James Mctavish Weir and Senegalese attacker Amadou Laye Samb.
Kochi Blue Spikers’ international pair are Serbian setter Marko Kostovic and German universal Christoph Marks. The Kolkata Thunderbolts list Finnish universal Samuli Ville Mikael Kaistasalo, Norwegian attacker Lars Kristian Ekeland and Polish middle blocker Krzysztof Rejno, while the Mumbai Meteors feature Norwegian middle blocker Petter Alstad Østvik and Latvian attacker Atvars Ozolins.
Prime Volleyball League Season 5 will commence on November 30 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad and run through December 23, with 29 international players from Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa set to take part.