Hyderabad Black Hawks

(Redirected from Black Hawks Hyderabad)

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.

Hyderabad Black Hawks
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
OwnerGlobalArena6 Sports LLP, Vijay Devarakonda
Head coachZoran Kedacic
CaptainRanjit Singh
LeaguePrime Volleyball League
2022

2023

2024
3rd place

5th place

9th place
Uniforms
Home
Away

Franchise History

edit

Franchise Ownership

edit

The franchise 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]

A majority of the shares are currently held by the Kankanala Sports Group alongside co-owners Shyam Sundar Reddy and Deepak G. Reddy who are minority partners in the Hyderabad franchise.

The Kankanala Sports Group also owns INDE Racing, Telugu Talons, Bengaluru Raptors and Whizzy, a delivery logistics company.

Franchise Name

edit

The franchise was initially named 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 team has retained the name since then, last featuring in the 2024 edition of the Prime Volleyball League.

Franchise 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.[3] 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.

Franchise Anthem

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 Sivamani. The anthem gained popularity upon its release and has been continued to be used by the Hyderabad Black Hawks since its release. [4]

Season History

edit

Prime Volleyball League, 2022

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 semi-final.

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 season, and won the Emerging Player of the Year Award.[5] John Joseph was awarded the Blocker of the Season Award; he recorded 17 blocks at a success rate of 40%.

Match Results
Date Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Points
League Stage
5 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 4–1 Kochi Blue Spikers 15–12 15–11 15–11 15–10 13–15 73–59
10 Feb Ahmedabad Defenders 4–1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–13 15–10 15–12 15–8 9–15 69–58
11 Feb Bengaluru Torpedoes 3–2 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–12 14–15 15–12 11–15 15–13 70–67
13 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 5–0 Chennai Blitz 15–14 15–11 15–14 15–7 15–13 75–59
15 Feb Kolkata Thunderbolts 2–3 Hyderabad Black Hawks 8–15 15–13 9–15 12–15 15–8 59–66
21 Feb Calicut Heroes 5–0 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–14 15–10 15–14 15–14 15–9 75–61
Semi-Final
24 Feb Ahmedabad Defenders 3–1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–13 15–12 9–15 15–12 - 54–52
Final Standings (PVL 2022)
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

Prime Volleyball League, 2023[6]

edit

Prior to the start of the second season of the Prime Volleyball League, the Hyderabad Black Hawks hosted an event that came to be known as Hype Night. The event was organized with the intention of bringing fans up close and personal with the players of the Hyderabad Black Hawks.[7] As part of Hype Night's festivities, two teams consisting of players from the Hyderabad Black Hawks played out a volleyball match in total 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 also featured Telugu actor Vijay Devarakonda.[7]

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 semi-final, as they missed out by the narrowest of margins, failing to secure qualification as a result of a poor set difference of -5.

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[5]in the process. The Ahmedabad Defenders went on to become the champions.[8]

Match Results
Date Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total
League Stage
6 Feb Ahmedabad Defenders 2–3 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–13 9–15 14–15 11–15 15–10 64–68
8 Feb Kolkata Thunderbolts 4–1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–13 15–7 15–9 15–12 8–15 68–56
11 Feb Calicut Heroes 4–1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–14 15–12 15–11 4–15 15–14 64–66
15 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 3–2 Kochi Blue Spikers 15–13 10–15 15–13 15–6 13–15 68–62
18 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 3–2 Chennai Blitz 10–15 15–14 15–9 12–15 15–11 67–64
21 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 3–2 Bengaluru Torpedoes 15–13 14–15 9–15 15–10 15–12 68–65
26 Feb Hyderabad Black Hawks 1–4 Mumbai Meteors 15–14 9–15 12–15 11–15 8–15 55–74
Final Standings (PVL 2023)
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

Prime Volleyball League, 2024[9]

edit

Before the start of season three of the Prime Volleyball League, the Hyderabad Black Hawks hosted the VD Black Hawks Open'24, which was a grassroots level volleyball tournament. The tournament was powered by RuPay, with Red Bull serving as the official energy partner. The VD Black Hawks Open'24 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.[10]

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 Gachibowli Stadium and was played between Ranga Reddy and Nellore. Ranga Reddy was crowned as the winner of the VD Black Hawks Open '24.[11] 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 tournament winners with the award and also revealed the jersey for the season.

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 won their maiden Prime Volleyball League title.[9]

Match Results
Date Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total
League Stage
17 Feb Chennai Blitz 3–0 Hyderabad Black Hawks 16–14 15–11 15–7 - - 46–32
19 Feb Mumbai Meteors 2–3 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–7 15–12 10–15 11–15 18-20 69–49
22 Feb Ahmedabad Defenders 3–0 Hyderabad Black Hawks 17–15 15–13 15–11 - - 47–39
26 Feb Delhi Toofans 3-1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–11 13–15 15–9 15–11 - 58–46
29 Feb Kolkata Thunderbolts 3-1 Hyderabad Black Hawks 15–8 15–8 11–15 20–18 - 61–49
02 Mar Hyderabad Black Hawks 0-3 Calicut Heroes 13–15 16–18 14–16 - - 43–49
04 Mar Hyderabad Black Hawks 0-3 Bengaluru Torpedoes 6–15 11–15 12–15 - - 29–45
09 Mar Hyderabad Black Hawks 0-3 Kochi Blue Spikers 12–15 12–15 11–15 - - 35–45
Final Standings (PVL 2024)
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 [5]

edit
  • Emerging player of the year - Guru Prasanth
  • Blocker of the Season - John Joseph

Prime Volleyball League, 2023[5]

edit
  • Most valuable player (MVP) - Guru Prasanth

Current Roster [12]

edit
Team roster 2024[3]
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 [13]

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

References

edit
  1. ^ "Ready to Compete': Hyderabad Black Hawks and Kochi Blue Spikers Set for Prime Volleyball League Opener". News 18. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Vijay Deverakonda Becomes Co-owner of Hyderabad Black Hawks Team in Prime Volleyball League". News18. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  3. ^ a b "Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League Team". primevolleyballleague.com.
  4. ^ Hyderabad Black Hawks Anthem ft. @TheDeverakonda | RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via www.youtube.com.
  5. ^ a b c d "From Prodigy to MVP: The journey of Guru Prasanth - the superstar of Indian volleyball". Prime Volleyball League. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  6. ^ volleyballworld.com. "Prime Volleyball League 2023 - Standings". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  7. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ volleyballworld.com. "Prime Volleyball League 2023 - Standings". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  9. ^ a b volleyballworld.com. "Prime Volleyball League 2024 - Standings". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  10. ^ Today, Telangana (2024-02-08). "VD Black Hawks volleyball tournament from January 19". Telangana Today. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  11. ^ Correspondent, D. C. (2024-02-09). "Vijay Deverakonda Black Hawks Open 24". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-05-15. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ "Hyderabad Black Hawks | Prime Volleyball League Team". Prime Volleyball League. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  13. ^ "Team". Hyderabadblackhawks. Retrieved 2024-05-16.