In 2014, Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd and Star India Pvt. Ltd. together took a groundbreaking initiative and introduced the Pro Kabaddi League to the world.

1. 0SHARES
Home  Pro Kabaddi  All You Need to Know about Pro Kabaddi
League
 
All You Need to Know about Pro Kabaddi
League
written by SportzCraazy May 13, 2019
PRO KABADDI
 Share  Tweet
    

2. How Pro Kabaddi League
Became a Successful Sports
Event?
In 2014, when a kabaddi league was introduced in India,
it sent every kabaddi fan out there in a frenzy. While the
critics were skeptical about the acceptance of the league
among the masses, many were doubtful over the
league’s survival against the likes of IPL and ISL.
However, the Pro Kabaddi League proved a huge success
and emerged as the most followed league in India after
the Indian Premier League.
image source

3. The fast-paced game of kabaddi and shorter time format
proved to be the most signi cant reasons behind the
astounding success of the league. The game of kabaddi
provided the fans and viewer the thrill and adrenaline
rush which boosted the popularity of the league
exponentially.
Kabaddi is primarily considered as a rural game and is
played in rural parts of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana,
Punjab, and Bihar. With Pro Kabaddi League – Season 7
starting from July 19th, 2019, Kabaddi lovers around the
globe are excited for the 80 days of Euphoria.
Let’s us take you on the ride through the history of Vivo
Pro Kabaddi League since it raided the Kabaddi fans in
2014.
Pro Kabaddi League
Introduction
In 2014, Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd and Star India Pvt. Ltd.
together took a groundbreaking initiative and
introduced the Pro Kabaddi League to the world. Since
then, Pro Kabaddi League has revolutionized the sport
in an unprecedented manner with stunning
innovations. The league has gained massive popularity
and ever-increasing fan following over the past seasons.
Since its inception, Pro Kabaddi League has grown leaps
and bound gaining the popularity on the global level.
Moreover, the game has not only made its way to the
heart of numerous sports lovers in the nation, but many
kabaddi players have now become the household names.

4. image source
Pro Kabaddi League has the backing from the Amateur
Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), and support from
the participating members of the International Kabaddi
Federation (IKF) and the Asian Kabaddi Federation
(AKF).
The League began with the participation of 8 city-based
franchises, but later 4 new franchises were introduced in
the fth season of the league. The addition of the new
franchises made VIVO Pro Kabaddi India’s most
prominent sports league in terms of numbers of team
participating and geographical representation. The
addition of the new teams to the league made the
competition more intense than ever before and the Pro
Kabaddi League all the more exciting.
This season once again your favorite kabaddi superstars
will face each other promising some intense battle and
high-octane Panga on the mat.
Pro Kabaddi League Teams
Bengal Warriors

5. image source
The Kolkata-based franchise has yet to show the spark
and lift the title of Pro Kabaddi League. In 2017, Bengal
Warriors played to their potential where they nished at
the 3rd position in the points table before slipping to
5th in PKL season 6. Bengal Warriors are yet to make it
to the nal of the Pro Kabaddi Leauge.
Bengaluru Bulls
image source
Winners of Pro Kabaddi League Season 6, Bengaluru
Bulls have blown hot and cold in the league. Before
lifting the PKL trophy for the rst time in their history,
Bengaluru Bulls came closest to winning the title in
season 2 where they nished as the runners up before

6. crashing to the 7th position in the very next season of
the league.
Dabang Delhi K.C
image source
The Dabangg from Delhi has been perennial under-
achievers in the Pro Kabaddi League. Every season fans
hope to see their team to surprise everyone with better
performances but to disappointment. Since the
beginning of the league, it hasn’t been a great journey
for the Dabangs as they have nished at 6th position or
below in the ve seasons out of 6. However, Delhi gave
their best performance in season 6 where they quali ed
for the playoffs for the rst time.
U Mumba

7. image source
Two-time runner-up and the winners of Season 2, U
Mumba is one of the most consistent performers of the
league. They made it to the nals for the three times
consecutively in the rst 3 seasons of the league.
However, they have not been able to maintain their
form in the past few seasons, but they still are one of
the strongest units in the league.
Jaipur Pink Panthers
image source
True to their name Pink Panthers from Jaipur hunted
down every opponent in the rst season of the league.
Jaipur Pink Panthers were deservingly crowned as the
champions in the inaugural season of the league.
However, since then their form took a turn for the worse
where they nished 5th and 6th in the next two
seasons. They once again reached the nals of the
league in season 4 before another 2 disappointing
seasons.
Patna Pirates

8. image source
Truly the most successful league in the Pro Kabaddi
League, Patna Pirates have been the biggest pirates in
the league. They have dominated the league with a hat-
trick of the championships where they won the league in
the season 3 and successfully defended the title in
season 4 and season 5.
Telugu Titans
image source
Telugu Titans started slow nishing at the 5th position
in the very rst season of the league. However, they
eventually picked up the pace and managed to reach the
playoffs in season 3. Since then, they have lost the
steam and never made it to the playoffs again. Titans

9. are a team which looks good every season but somehow
manages to falter just before crossing the nal line.
Puneri Paltan
image source
It was not a start Puneri Paltan looking for when they
nished at the bottom of the table in the rst two
seasons of the league. However, the Paltan made an
impressive comeback with qualifying for the playoffs 3
times consecutively. Puneri Paltan then again reached
to the oblivion in the season 5 where they nished at
the 4th position in their zone.
Tamil Thalaivas
image source

10. Thalaivas haven’t been able to justify their name at all
in the two seasons they have played in the league. The
newcomers have nished at the bottom of the table in
their zone in both the season they have played so far.
Gujarat Fortune Giants
image source
Riding with con dence, Gujarat Fortune Giants have
already emerged as a giant in the league. In their rst
two seasons, giants from Gujarat have made it to the
nal on both the occasions and have been unlucky to
not to win the title.
Haryana Steelers
image source

11. Haryana Steelers had a good start in the Pro Kabaddi
league. In their very rst season, they showed the steel
by making it to the playoffs. However, they could not
repeat the feat and crashed to the 6th position at the
table in their zone.
UP Yoddhas
image source
UP Yoddhas made a stellar debut in the Pro Kabaddi
League by qualifying for the playoffs in their very rst
season. The Yoddhas from UP showed the world that
their performance in the season 5 was no uke as they
quali ed for the playoffs once again in the season 5.
The Story So Far | Pro Kabaddi
League Past Seasons
Season 1

12. In the year 2014, The Pro Kabaddi journey began with
much enthusiasm and anticipation. The rst season of
the league featured eight teams battling it out for the
prestigious Pro Kabaddi title over a ve-week period.
Kabaddi fans from all over the world witnessed some
mouth-watering ‘pangas,’ and the league exceeded the
expectations. It had the second highest viewership
among the sports leagues in India after the IPL. In the
end, Jaipur Pink Panthers crowned the champions after
they beat U Mumba in the nal of the league.
image source
Top Raider: Rahul Chaudhari from Telugu Titans
Top Defender: Manjeet Chiller from Bengaluru Bulls
MVP: Anup Kumar from U Mumba
Season 2
The second season of the Pro Kabaddi League kicked off
in July 2015. The squads were bigger this time with the
strength going from 14 to 25. It gave the world a glimpse

13. of the new and exciting kabaddi talent in India and
across the globe. This season, U Mumba went one step
ahead from the last season as they emerged as the
deserving champions beating Bengaluru Bulls in an
electrifying contest in the nal.
image source
Top Raider: Kashiling Adake from Dabang Delhi K.C.
Top Defender: Ravinder Pahal from Dabang Delhi K.C.
MVP: Manjeet Chillar from Bengaluru Bulls
Season 3
With its ever-increasing popularity, Season 3 of the Pro
Kabaddi League came after just ve months from the
conclusion of the second season. This time teams found
their stride and got the hang of the competition. With
the perfect balance of attack and defense, teams battled
in more closely contested games. In the nal, Patna
Pirates ousted defending champions U Mumba and
lifted the coveted PKL title for the rst time.

14. image source
Top Raider: Rishank Devadiga from U Mumba
Top Defender: Sandeep Narwal from Patna Pirates
MVP: Rohit Kumar from Patna Pirates
Season 4
In June 2016, Season 4 returned once again following
closely on the heels of the season 3 of the league. For
the rst time in Pro Kabaddi League, two consecutive
seasons were played in the same calendar year. This
season also saw the increased international
participation with 24 players from 12 countries joining
the battle. Patna Pirates defended their title successfully
by trumping the champions of the inaugural season
Jaipur Pink Panthers in the nal.

15. image source
Top Raider: Rahul Chaudhari from Telegu Titans
Top Defender: Fazel Atrachali from Patna Pirates
MVP: Pradeep Narwal from Patna Pirates
Season 5
With the introduction of 4 new teams, the fth edition
of VIVO Pro Kabaddi was the longest in the history of
the league. In the season 5, 138 matches were played in
a period of 13 weeks. A number of records were broken
in the season, including most points in a single game,
the most Raid Points in a season, most consecutive High
5s in a season, most Tackle Points in a season among
others. Patna Pirates created the history by sailing over
the line once again and became the rst team to score a
hat-trick Pro Kabaddi League titles.

16. image source
Top Raider: Pradeep Narwal from Patna Pirates
Top Defender: Surender Nada from Haryana Steelers
MVP: Pradeep Narwal from Patna Pirates
Season 6
Season 6 of Pro Kabaddi League once again saw many
records tumbling. For the rst time in the history of the
league 5 raiders went past the 200-raid point mark.
While 3 defenders too scored over 80 tackle points in
the league and Nitesh Kumar becoming the rst player
to score 100 tackle points in a single season. In the end,
Bulls from Bangalore captured their maiden Pro Kabaddi
League title ending their title drought.
image source

17. Top Raider: Pradeep Narwal from Patna Pirates
Top Defender: Nitesh Kumar from U.P. Yoddha
MVP: Pawan Kumar Sehrawat from Bengaluru Bulls
Best Players of Pro Kabaddi
League
The ‘poster boy’ of Indian Kabaddi Rahul Chaudhari is
the player with the most number of points scored in the
history of Pro Kabaddi League. With 876 points against
his name Rahul Chaudhari is leading point scorer in the
league followed by his counterpart Pradeep Narwal with
865 points and all-rounder Deepak Niwas Hooda with
785 points.
In the Raiding department, Pradeep Narwal trumps
Rahul Chaudhari with 858 points against his name
whereas Rahul has scored 825 raiding points over the
course of his PKL career. Indian veteran Ajay Thakur
occupies the third spot in the list with a haul of 732
raiding points in the league.
image source

18. Indian Kabaddi Legend Manjeet Chillar has been the
best defender in league with 302 tackle points across six
seasons of the league. He is closely followed by ‘the
hawk’ Ravinder Pahal with 263 tackle points, and
Sandeep Narwal is at third position with 254 tackle
points against his name.
Pro Kabaddi League Rules
The Pro Kabaddi League follows similar rules to that of
the indoor team version of Kabaddi. However, the league
also has introduced additional rules to encourage more
scoring and making the game attractive. The rst rule is
playing two “empty” raids in a row will trigger a “do-or-
die raid”; in this raid, the raider must score a point, or
he will be declared out. The second rule is when a
defensive side has three or fewer players remaining, and
tackles are termed as a “Super Tackle.” The super tackle
is awarded two points instead of one.
Pro Kabaddi League Format
Pro Kabaddi League is played in the groups and playoffs
format where 12 teams are divided into 2 zones with 6
teams in each zone. At the group stage, every team will
play 22 matches each including 15 Intra-Zone matches,
6 Inter-Zone matches, and 1 wild card match.
In Intra-Zone, each team will play every other team of
their zone 3 times making it a total of 15 matches. In
Inter-Zone, Each team will play every team of the other
zone one time making a total of 6 matches. Wild card
match will be played Inter-Zone with one team of the
other zone to be selected with a random draw. Based on

19. the standings in the points table, top 3 teams from both
zones will qualify for the playoffs.
At the playoffs stage, Top teams from both the zones
will meet in the quali er 1 where the winner directly will
reach to the nals, and the loser of the match will get
another chance in quali er 2.
After that, in a series of eliminators, no. 2 teams from
zone A will meet no. 3 from zone B and no. 3 team in
zone A will meet no. 2 team in zone B. The winners of
both the eliminators will go face to face where the
winner will advance to the quali er 2. Then the winner
of quali er 2 will lock horns with the winner of quali er
1 for the one last time in the nal and biggest ‘Panga’ of
the season.
Pro Kabaddi League
Sponsorship
Image Source
Chinese handset maker Vivo Electronics Corp. is the
title sponsors for the Pro Kabaddi League for a period of
ve years, starting 2017. The mega-deal was valued at Rs
300 crore in which VIVO acquired the title sponsorship
rights of the league. Earlier the league was known as

20. ‘Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League’ which now is called as
‘Vivo Pro Kabaddi League.’
Pro Kabaddi League Prize Money
The winning team of the Pro Kabaddi League 2018, took
home Rs 3 crore as prize money. The runners-up of the
league were also awarded a massive sum of Rs 1.80
crore. The most valuable player of the league got the
prize money of Rs 15 lakh, and best defender and raider
took away Rs 10 lakh each.
Pro Kabaddi League Upcoming Season
The Pro Kabaddi League Auction 2019 recently was held
in Mumbai on 9th April. The erce 2-day event saw the
team owners and coaches engaged in bidding wars to
assemble the best possible team for the Vivo Pro
Kabaddi League season 7. Each team entered the auction
with a large purse amounting ₹4.4 Crore which they
shelled out to acquire the services of the kabaddi
superstars of their choice.
12 teams bought over 120 players and they also had the
option of retaining few players from their existing squad
ahead of the auction. Puneri Paltan went all-out with a
clean slate in the auction after not choosing to retain
any player. The teams spent over 50 Crore in the auction
and this time the players from the New Young Players
Initiative were in focus, as well as the Overseas Players,
were also sought after by the franchises.