Pro Kabaddi League
India's second most watched sports league after the IPL.
The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is a professional men's kabaddi competition in India. It launched in 2014 and is broadcast on Star Sports. Globally, it is the most-watched kabaddi league, and within India it ranks second in viewership only to the Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
Eight different teams have won the championship since the league began. The Patna Pirates hold the record for three consecutive titles. The Jaipur Pink Panthers and Dabang Delhi have each won twice. Single titles have gone to U Mumba, the Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriorz, Puneri Paltan, and the Haryana Steelers. As of the most recent completed season, the reigning champions are the Puneri Paltan, who claimed their first title in the 2024 season.
**History**
The league was inspired by the popularity of kabaddi at the 2006 Asian Games. It uses a franchise model, and its first season in 2014 featured eight teams, each paying up to US$250,000 (₹20,00,000) to join. There were doubts about whether the league would succeed, since many leagues had tried and failed to copy the Indian Premier League's business model, and kabaddi lacked a large pool of well-known players compared to cricket. However, supporters pointed out that kabaddi is widely played at the grassroots level, which could attract both rural and urban viewers—an appealing mix for advertisers if the league gained traction.
The inaugural season drew 43.5 crore (435 million) viewers, second only to the 2014 Indian Premier League’s 55.2 crore (552 million). The first season’s final between the Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba was watched by 8.64 crore (86.4 million) people. In 2015, broadcaster Star Sports announced it would buy a 74% stake in the league’s parent company, Mashal Sports. For the 2017 and 2018–19 seasons, four new teams were added, and the format split teams into two divisions called "zones." The league returned to a standard double round-robin format starting with the 2019 season.
**Format**
The league phase uses a round-robin system: each team plays six opponents twice and the other six once. After the league phase, the top four teams advance to the playoffs, while teams ranked fifth through eighth enter the play-ins. Both the playoffs and play-ins consist of elimination matches and finals, culminating in a championship match.
- Founded
- 2014
- Country
- India
- Broadcaster
- Star Sports
- Number of teams
- 8 initially, expanded to 12
- Most titles
- Patna Pirates (3 consecutive)
- Current champions
- Puneri Paltan (2024 edition)
Lore & Background
The league's inception was influenced by the popularity of kabaddi at the 2006 Asian Games. It uses a franchise-based model, with the first season in 2014 featuring eight teams that each paid fees up to US$250,000. Despite doubts about its success—given that many leagues were trying to emulate the IPL and kabaddi had fewer well-known players—the league attracted 43.5 crore viewers in its inaugural season, second only to the 2014 IPL. The first season final between Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba was watched by 8.64 crore viewers. In 2015, Star Sports acquired a 74% stake in the league's parent company Mashal Sports.
Reader's Guide
The Pro Kabaddi League has had eight different champions since its inception. Patna Pirates have won three consecutive titles, while Jaipur Pink Panthers and Dabang Delhi have each won twice. U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriorz, Puneri Paltan, and Haryana Steelers have one title each. The league follows a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for playoffs and teams ranked 5–8 entering play-ins. Individual awards include Most Valuable Player, Best Raider, and Best Defender. The league won the Best Sports League at the Confederation of Indian Industry Sports Business Awards in 2024. Its success demonstrated that a traditional grassroots sport could attract both rural and metropolitan viewers, becoming a major commercial property in Indian sports.
Did You Know?
- The first season in 2014 was seen by 43.5 crore (435 million) viewers.
- Patna Pirates have won the league three consecutive times.
- Dabang Delhi are the current champions after winning their second title in the 2025 edition.
- The league won Best Sports League at the Confederation of Indian Industry Sports Business Awards in 2024.
More in Team Ball Sports 1-21
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record