Hyderabad Black Hawks
 | |||
| Founded | 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | GlobalArena6 Sports LLP, Vijay Devarakonda | ||
| Head coach | Zoran Kedacic | ||
| Captain | Ranjit Singh | ||
| League | Prime Volleyball League | ||
| 2022 2024 | 3rd place
5th place 9th place | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
The Hyderabad Black Hawks (formerly Black Hawks Hyderabad) are a professional men's volleyball team from Hyderabad, Telangana that play in the Prime Volleyball League in India[1]. The club is currently owned by GlobalArena6 Sports LLP alongside co-owner, Vijay Deverakonda[2]. The team has competed in three seasons of the Prime Volleyball League, recording their best season in the 2022 edition, finishing as joint-third place winners alongside the Calicut Heroes. Apart from competing in India's most competitive volleyball franchise league, the ownership has constantly stated their commitment to developing volleyball at the grassroots level in India.
Club History[edit]
Club Ownership[edit]
The club was initially founded and owned by Agile Entertainment Pvt Ltd but later GlobalArena6 Sports LLP took over the reins in 2021 alongside Vijay Deverakonda[2].The famous Tollywood actor purchased a minority share in the Telangana based franchise, amounting to around 10% of the total share[3]. A majority of the shares are held by Abhishek Reddy Kankanala at present with both co-owners stating their ambitions to grow the sport of volleyball in all corners of the country[3].
Club Name[edit]
The club was initially founded as Black Hawks Hyderabad in 2018 and was owned by Agile Entertainment Pvt Ltd. The name was later changed to Hyderabad Black Hawks following a change of ownership that took place in 2021. The club has retained the name since then, last featuring in the 2024 edition of the Prime Volleyball League.
Participation[edit]
Prior to the change in ownership the Black Hawks Hyderabad participated in the only season of the dissolved Pro Volleyball League in 2019[4]. Ever since the change in ownership, the Hyderabad Black Hawks have participated in three seasons of the Prime Volleyball League, first featuring in 2022 recording their best-ever finish during that season.
Pre-Season Initiatives[edit]
Hype Night (2023)[edit]
Hype Night was a pre-season event that was held by Cake India in collaboration with the Hyderabad Black Hawks ahead of the start of the second season of the Prime Volleyball League. The event was organized with the intention of bringing fans up close and personal with the players of the Hyderabad Black Hawks[5].
As part of Hype Night's festivities, two teams played out a volleyball match in complete darkness illuminated by UV and neon lighting in front of a packed crowd. The on-court volleyball action was accompanied by music and entertainment, and featured the presence of star Telugu actor, Vijay Devarakonda[5].
The VD Black Hawks Open '24 (2024)[edit]
The Vijay Deverakonda Black Hawks Open powered by RuPay, was a grassroots level volleyball tournament conducted by the Hyderabad Black Hawks that was primarily held in Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad. The tournament was aimed at developing volleyball at the grassroots level in the Telugu speaking states of India, and provided for the tournament winners to get a chance to train with the players of the Hyderabad Black Hawks[6]. The primary energy partner for the tournament was Red Bull.
The inaugural season of the VD Black Hawks Open '24 saw the participation of over 3000 players and 300+ teams, and was held across 16 different locations. The final of the tournament was held in the Gachibowli Stadium and was played between Ranga Reddy and Nellore. Ranga Reddy was crowned as the winner of the VD Black Hawks Open '24.[7]
As part of the VD Black Hawks Open '24, players of the Hyderabad Black Hawks played out an exhibition match among themselves. Vijay Devarakonda presented the winners with the award and also revealed the jersey for the upcoming 2024 Prime Volleyball League season.
Team Anthem[edit]
Hawk Attack [8][edit]
The Hyderabad Black Hawks' team anthem was officially given the title "Hawk Attack", composed by Karthik Kodakandla and was sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Mangli. The lyrics were written by Giridhar and drums and percussion were provided by the legendary Sivamani. The anthem gained popularity upon its release and has been continued to be used by the Hyderabad Black Hawks since its release.
Team Roster[edit]
| Team roster 2024[4] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Position | Jersey no. | ||
| 1 |  Sahil Kumar |
Universal | 7 | ||
| 2 | Lal Sujan MV (VC) |
Setter | 13 | ||
| 3 | Ranjit Singh (C) |
Setter | 4 | ||
| 4 | Deepu Venugopal |
Libero | 1 | ||
| 5 | Naveen Jagadesan |
Libero | 18 | ||
| 6 | Abhilash Chaudhary |
Blocker | 14 | ||
| 7 | John Joseph |
Blocker | 17 | ||
| 8 | Prince |
Blocker | 10 | ||
| 9 |  Stefan Kovačević |
Blocker | 3 | ||
| 10 | Ashamatullah |
Attacker | 5 | ||
| 11 | Ashok |
Attacker | 11 | ||
| 12 | Hemanth P |
Attacker | 2 | ||
| 13 |  Iván Fernández |
Attacker | 8 | ||
| 14 | Niyas Abdul Salam |
Attacker | 9 | ||
Administration and support staff[edit]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owner | GlobalArena6 Sports LLP |
| Head coach |  Zoran Kedačič
|
| Assistant Coach | Mohammed Jameeluddin
|
| Physio | Dr. Ravi
|
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Mani
|
| Team Managers | Sanjay Saji, Rathan Kumar
|
Season History[edit]
2022 PVL[9][edit]
The inaugural edition of the Prime Volleyball League saw the participation of seven teams and was held at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad Black Hawks got off to a flying start, winning their first league game, 4-1, against the Kochi Blue Spikers. They then went on to win two more games over the course of the season, powering them to a spot in the playoffs of season 1 of the Prime Volleyball League.
The Hyderabad Black Hawks and the Calicut Heroes finished with 7 points each in the group stage, with the latter claiming third place as a result of a higher set difference. The Hyderabad based franchise went down against the Ahmedabad Defenders in the semi-final and were declared joint-third place winners alongside the Calicut Heroes.
Guru Prasanth recorded 69 points during the 2022 season, and won the Emerging Player of the Year Award[10]. John Joseph was awarded the Blocker of the Season Award for his fantastic performances over the course of the season. John Joseph recorded 17 blocks in the inaugural season of the PVL at a success rate of 40%.
| Position | Team Name | League stage finish |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Kolkata Thunderbolts | 2nd |
| Runners-up | Ahmedabad Defenders | 1st |
| 3rd | Calicut Heroes | 3rd |
| 3rd | Hyderabad Black Hawks | 4th |
| 4th | Bengaluru Torpedoes | 5th |
| 5th | Chennai Blitz | 6th |
| 6th | Kochi Blue Spikers | 7th |
2023 PVL[11][edit]
The second edition of the Prime Volleyball League saw the participation of eight teams and was played across three Indian cities, namely Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi. The Hyderabad Black Hawks got off to a strong start before facing two consecutive defeats. They then managed to turn their form around but were unfortunate not to make the playoffs, as they missed it by the narrowest of margins. A poor set difference of -5 saw them miss out on the playoffs by just one spot.
Guru Prasanth wore the captain's armband for the 2023 season, becoming the first player to score more than 100 points in a single season. He finished the season with a total of 114 points, picking up the MVP award[10]in the process.
The Ahmedabad Defenders went on to become the champions of the 2023 edition of the Prime Volleyball League.
| Position | Team Name | League Stage Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Ahmedabad Defenders | 2nd |
| Runners-up | Bengaluru Torpedoes | 4th |
| 3rd | Calicut Heroes | 3rd |
| 4th | Kolkata Thunderbolts | 1st |
| 5th | Hyderabad Black Hawks | 5th |
| 6th | Mumbai Meteors | 6th |
| 7th | Kochi Blue Spikers | 7th |
| 8th | Chennai Blitz | 8th |
2024 PVL[12][edit]
The most recent edition of the Prime Volleyball League saw the participation of nine teams and was held in the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. The Hyderabad Black Hawks finished last in the league stage recording just one win against the Mumbai Meteors. The Calicut Heroes went on to win their maiden Prime Volleyball League title.
| Position | Team Name | League Stage Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Calicut Heroes | 1st |
| Runners-up | Delhi Toofans | 2nd |
| 3rd | Ahmedabad Defenders | 3rd |
| 4th | Bengaluru Torpedoes | 4th |
| 5th | Mumbai Meteors | 5th |
| 6th | Chennai Blitz | 6th |
| 7th | Kolkata Thunderbolts | 7th |
| 8th | Kochi Blue Spikers | 8th |
| 9th | Hyderabad Black Hawks | 9th |
Overall Season Summary[edit]
| Team | Competition | Year | Finish | Matches Won | Matches Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League | 2022 | 3rd | 3 | 3 |
| Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League | 2023 | 5th | 4 | 3 |
| Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League | 2024 | 9th | 1 | 7 |
Honors[edit]
Prime Volleyball League, 2022[edit]
- Emerging player of the year - Guru Prasanth
- Blocker of the Season - John Joseph
- Third placed finish
Prime Volleyball League, 2023[edit]
- Most valuable player (MVP) - Guru Prasanth
References[edit]
- ^ "Ready to Compete': Hyderabad Black Hawks and Kochi Blue Spikers Set for Prime Volleyball League Opener". News 18. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Vijay Deverakonda Becomes Co-owner of Hyderabad Black Hawks Team in Prime Volleyball League". News18. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
- ^ a b Khosla, Varuni (2023-01-23). "Vijay Deverakonda co-owner in volleyball league team Hyderabad Black Hawks". mint. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ a b "Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League Team". primevolleyballleague.com.
- ^ a b Bureau, BestMediaInfo. "Hyderabad Black Hawks collaborates with Cake India to organise 'Hype Night' event for volleyball fans". bestmediainfo.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Today, Telangana (2024-02-08). "VD Black Hawks volleyball tournament from January 19". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Correspondent, D. C. (2024-02-09). "Vijay Deverakonda Black Hawks Open 24". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ Hyderabad Black Hawks Anthem ft. @TheDeverakonda | RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "2022 Prime Volleyball League", Wikipedia, 2024-04-13, retrieved 2024-05-15
- ^ a b "From Prodigy to MVP: The journey of Guru Prasanth - the superstar of Indian volleyball". Prime Volleyball League. 2023-53-03T08:08:00+00:00. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ volleyballworld.com. "Prime Volleyball League 2023 - Standings". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ volleyballworld.com. "Prime Volleyball League 2024 - Standings". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.