Hyderabad Black Hawks evolves into Telugu Black Hawks, uniting global Telugu diaspora

Hyderabad Black Hawks on Monday announced its evolution to Telugu Black Hawks, marking the next chapter in the franchise’s journey to bring together the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, while building a deeper connection with the global Telugu diaspora through volleyball.

As one of the founding franchises of the Prime Volleyball League, the club has always believed its role extends beyond the professional team. From the beginning, the Black Hawks vision has been to grow volleyball across both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and create opportunities for young players to engage with the sport.

Hyderabad Black Hawks U-21 team down Goa, crowned Guardians Trophy champions

Over the past four years, that commitment has taken the Black Hawks across both states. The franchise has collaborated with the Isha Foundation on volleyball initiatives across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, organised the Vijay Deverakonda Black Hawks Open across districts in both states, and organised numerous volleyball clinics, open trials and pre-season camps across the region.

These experiences reinforced something that had been part of the franchise’s vision from the beginning. While Hyderabad is its home, the community around the Black Hawks extends far beyond the boundaries of one city. The evolution to Telugu Black Hawks reflects that reality.

Hyderabad will remain the club’s home

Hyderabad will forever remain the club’s home and an integral part of its identity. The new name builds on those roots to embrace people across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, while also creating a connection with the millions who make up the Telugu diaspora around the world.

Abhishek Reddy Kankanala, principal owner of Telugu Black Hawks, said: “Four years ago, we started with the dream of building a professional volleyball team. Today, that dream has evolved into something much bigger. Our vision has never been limited to winning matches. Over the last four years, we have taken volleyball into communities across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh through tournaments, clinics, trials, camps and grassroots programs. The more we worked across both states, the clearer it became that the Black Hawks belonged to a much larger community.

“Hyderabad will always be where our journey began and will remain at the heart of who we are. This evolution is not about moving away from Hyderabad. It is about widening the circle. Telugu Black Hawks belongs to everyone who has been part of the Black Hawks journey, while creating a team that people across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the Telugu diaspora around the world can proudly call their own,” he added.

Shameemudheen goes for ₹20 lakh, Suraj leads U-21 talent into PVL Season 5 Auction

Looking ahead, Telugu Black Hawks intends to deepen this commitment through grassroots development, academies, school programs, coaching, talent identification and competitive opportunities that create a pathway from discovering volleyball to playing the sport at the highest level. As Telugu Black Hawks begins this new chapter, the ambition remains the same: to compete for championships while building a volleyball movement that brings together communities at home and around the world.

Telugu Black Hawks’ new squad

Telugu Black hawks strengthened their squad in the PVL 2026 players’ auction. Telugu Black Hawks have picked a strong squad for Season 5, which will be held in Ahmedabad this year. At the auction held in Goa on Monday, Black Hawks bought Tanish Choudhary for ₹14 lakh, Vinit Kumar (₹8 lakh), Mouhsin PA (₹5 lakh), Hari Prasad B S and Deepak (₹3 lakh each), while exercising their Right to Match to retain Niyas Abdul Salam for ₹4 lakh.

Squad: Tanish Choudhary (₹14 lakh), Vinit Kumar (₹8 lakh), Mouhsin PA (₹5 lakh), Niyas Abdul Salam (₹4 lakh), Hari Prasad B S (₹3 lakh), Deepak (₹3 lakh), Warangal player Mettu Siril Reddy (₹1 lakh), Namith MN (₹1 lakh), Shikhar Singh, John Joseph, Deepu Venugopal and Preet Karan.