Pro Kabaddi League is set to return for its second season from July 18. The opening match will be held at the National Sports Club of India in Mumbai. The season opener will pit finalists U Mumba of Mumbai against Jaipur Pink Panthers. The league will be aired on Star Sports.
Promoted by Mashal Sports and Star India with the backing of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and International Kabaddi Federation, the Pro Kabaddi League will feature 60 games played over 37 days in eight cities.
Following the 'caravan style' format of the first edition, the league will be played at each franchise city for a duration of four days, where the home team will play four of the visiting franchises. All seven visiting franchises will play a set of away games in each city. After the opener in Mumbai, the games will move to Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Bengaluru, in that order and will conclude with the final leg in Pune. The finale will be held in Mumbai on August 23.
The Pro Kabaddi League has managed to repackage the game of Kabaddi in India. The league has shown promise in its first season with a viewership of 435 million (TAM) and social media popularity with six million tweets. Last year, it was one of the most popular sports tournaments as per ratings, after the Indian Premier League.