About Pro Kabaddi League

About Pro Kabaddi League

Pro Kabaddi is a ground-breaking initiative by Mashal Sports Pvt. Ltd and Disney Star. Ever since its inception in 2014, The League has revolutionised the sport of kabaddi with stunning innovations, making it an aspirational sport for players and fans alike. Backed by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), and supported by participating members of the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) and the Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF), the league has witnessed tremendous growth over the past seasons.

Mashal Sports and Disney Star have jointly worked towards elevating the sport of kabaddi to an international standard with new and exciting innovations in the rules and how the game is viewed, thus heralding in a new era for kabaddi. They infused new life into the sport by bringing it to the major metropolitan cities of India along with regions where kabaddi was yet to gain a foothold. Pro Kabaddi now has unprecedented participation from various parts of the country owing to the outreach over the past seasons and the advent of new programmes pioneered by Mashal Sports to encourage young talent from across the country. Kabaddi is now also seen as a viable career option by various aspiring players in India and abroad.

The addition of four new teams in the fifth edition of the league made Pro Kabaddi India's biggest sports league in terms of geographical representation and number of teams. The new sides – Gujarat Giants, Haryana Steelers, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddhas made the competition all the more intense and the kabaddi all the more exciting.

This season the kabaddi superstars will go toe-to-toe once again promising some high-octane Panga on the mat.

Mashal Sports

Mashal Sports is the organizing company of Pro Kabaddi League. It was founded in 1994 by Anand Mahindra and Charu Sharma with a vision to make kabaddi more available to the Indian audience. Their pathbreaking initiative was backed by international broadcasting giant Disney Star. After extensive research and market study, they launched the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi with the player auctions on 20th May 2014. The games were brought to home audiences live on the Disney Star Network of which Mashal Sports is now an integral part.

Season 1

The Pro Kabaddi journey began in the year 2014 with much enthusiasm and anticipation. It featured eight teams battling it out for the coveted Pro Kabaddi champions' title over a five-week period. Fans were all set for some mouth-watering 'panga' and the league did not fail to deliver. It had the second highest viewership among sporting events in India. In the end, Jaipur Pink Panthers emerged victorious beating U Mumba 35-24 in the final.

Season 2

The second season kicked off in July 2015. This time, the squads were bigger with the strength going from 14 to 25 giving the world a glimpse of a whole lot of new and exciting kabaddi talent. U Mumba dominated the season and emerged as the deserving champions beating Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 in the finals.

Season 3

With its popularity on the rise, Season 3 of Pro Kabaddi came just five months after the completion of the second season. The teams found their stride with the perfect balance of defensive and attacking players leading to more closely contested games. Patna Pirates ousted defending champions U Mumba in the finals and clinched a 31-28 victory.

Season 4

In June 2016, Season 4 returned following closely on the heels of the previous edition of the league. This was the first time two consecutive seasons were played in the same calendar year. It also had increased international participation with 24 players from 12 countries joining the fray. Patna Pirates retained their title trumping inaugural season winners Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-29.

Season 5

The fifth edition of Pro Kabaddi was the longest in the history of the league with 138 matches being played over a span of 13 weeks. A number of records were broken including the most Raid Points in a season, most Tackle Points in a season, most points in a single match, most consecutive High 5s in a season, among others. Pardeep Narwal's heroics saw Patna Pirates sail over the line once again, giving them a hat-trick of Pro Kabaddi titles.

Season 6

The sixth edition of Pro Kabaddi saw a number of records tumbling. Five raiders went past the 200-raid point mark for the first time in league history, while three defenders scored over 80 tackle points with Nitesh Kumar becoming the first man to score 100 tackle points in a single season. In the end, it was Bengaluru Bulls who captured their maiden Pro Kabaddi title, led by league MVP Pawan Kumar Sehrawat.

Season 7

An even balance between raiders and defenders saw tough competition unfold in Season 7, with three raiders crossing the 300-raid point mark for the first time in a single season. While U Mumba made a record-equalling fifth playoffs appearance, table-toppers Dabang Delhi K.C. and Bengal Warriorz, both, made their first final before the latter emerged as the winners and made Mohammad Esmaeil Nabibakhsh the first overseas captain to win the title.

Season 8

Bengaluru hosted all the games of the 2021–22 season of Pro Kabaddi. Dabang Delhi K.C. won their maiden title by narrowly beating Patna Pirates 37-36 in an action-packed clash. The edition saw a record 19 games end with the scores level making it one of the most exciting seasons of the league. Naveen Kumar was instrumental in the glory for Dabang Delhi K.C. and just like in Season 7, was the MVP (Most Valuable Player).

Season 9

This edition saw fans returning to the stadiums with the tournament held in multiple cities. While Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad hosted the league stage, Mumbai was the venue for the Playoff matches. Jaipur Pink Panthers edged past Puneri Paltan to win the crown with a 33-29 score. Tamil Thalaivas made it to their first-ever playoffs while UP Yoddhas maintained their streak of qualifying for the Playoffs in every edition of the league. Arjun Deshwal was adjudged the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for topping the raiding charts and helping the Panthers clinch the title.

Season 10

The Pro Kabaddi League returned to its caravan format, hosting matches in 12 cities. Fans had the exciting opportunity to cheer for their favourite stars during their home legs from the stands. The league stage commenced in Ahmedabad and concluded with the playoffs in Hyderabad. In this edition, the runners-up of Season 9, Puneri Paltan, went a step further, clinching the championship in a thrilling final against Haryana Steelers with a 28-25 score. Haryana Steelers reached their inaugural semi-finals in the Pro Kabaddi League. Notably, both Haryana Steelers and Puneri Paltan were the only two teams to defeat all 11 opponents this season. Meanwhile, Jaipur Pink Panthers and Patna Pirates stood as the sole teams to maintain an unbeaten record during their home legs in PKL Season 10. Aslam Inamdar earned the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his commendable leadership of Puneri Paltan, contributing significantly in both raiding and defensive departments to secure the championship.