What’s the story?
After four successful seasons that drew fans from all over the country, the next edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is all set to feature four new franchises as the number of teams expands from eight to 12. With this move, it will become the largest franchise-based sporting competition in India, surpassing even the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Mashal Sports Pvt Ltd., which is the promoter of the PKL, is looking to increase the geographic representation of the league and the sport. As a result, it is inviting expressions of interest from prospective bidders to set up teams from the states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
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The process is expected to finish in May and the season is slated for a July start, giving the new teams sufficient time to prepare. This would mean that the season five of the PKL will have representation from 11 states, will feature around 130 matches played over a period in excess of three months.
“The regions we have selected are areas which have shown tremendous interest in the sport. Even for an optimist like myself, the numbers are mind-boggling. States such as Haryana and UP contribute massively towards the talent pool in the league.
“We might have even more expansions next year, if this works out,” said Mr. Uday Shankar, chairman and CEO of Star India.
In case you didn’t know...
The Pro Kabaddi League was started in 2014 and has gone on to become one of the most popular sporting competitions in India. So far, it has featured eight teams – from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur, Patna and Hyderabad/Vizag, thus covering seven states from different regions in the country.
India also played host to the Kabaddi World Cup last year, which was won by the hosts, who defeated Iran in a hard-fought final. It was held in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and saw a resultant surge of interest not only in the state or the country but also across the world, as it was telecast in various nations in multiple continents.
The heart of the matter
The expansion of the league will be a great boost to the sport, which has made quite a dramatic appearance in the public’s eyes over the last few years. Due to a variety of factors such as kabaddi’s format, excellent broadcasting and telecasting, and the sport being indigenous to India, the league has received a great response from fans as well as sponsors.
According to ratings provider TAM, the first season of the PKL in 2014 saw 435 million viewers tune in. Season 4 had a total of 64 league and franchise sponsors on board and the number is only likely to grow in the coming months after the World Cup provided another shot in the arm to prospective investors.
States such as Haryana and Tamil Nadu already have a large number of local players, who ply their trade in the PKL as well as for various public sector teams. Along with Uttar Pradesh, they have an existing tradition of local kabaddi tournaments, which are extremely popular. Gujarat also saw a tremendous increase in public following after the World Cup.
What’s next?
The process for inviting tenders for prospective franchises in on and the details are available on the league’s website. The deadline for sending entries is April 9, 2017.
Sportskeeda’s Take
It is most certainly quite an exciting piece of news for kabaddi fans around the country as it will mean more star players, matches and exciting action. It will also make the league the biggest competition of its kind in India, overtaking the IPL, which is something that might have seemed unfathomable three years ago.
