Since the new category has started on the Sportstalk Social platform, I am tempted to write more about it as there is a lot of interest from various sports influencers.
In my last article I wrote about the basic information of Kabaddi
The Pro Kabaddi league's inception was influenced by the popularity of the Kabaddi tournament at the 2006 Asian Games. The format of the competition was influenced by Indian Premier League(Cricket).
The Pro Kabaddi League uses a franchise-based model and its first season was held in 2014 with eight teams each of which having paid fees of up to US$250,000 to join as the franchise owners.
Format Changes
This format was conceptualized by an Indian company called Mashal Sports, which was later acquired by the broadcaster - Star Sports.
The Pro Kabaddi League's rules are similar to that of the indoor version of Kabaddi, but with some twists in scoring.
Video explains the super tackle change in rules ( Source: Youtube)
First twist is when Playing two "empty" raids in a row will trigger a "do-or-die raid", where the raider must score a point or they will be declared out. When a defensive side has three or fewer players remaining, tackles are scored as a "Super Tackle", which is worth two points instead of one.
Franchisee
Cricket franchisee on the lines of football clubs was the first success of sports in India. Kabaddi leagues were franchised out and many Indian celebrities suddenly became interested in buying the teams. The teams are formed by purchasing the players from the pool of players from various countries. Players from Iran, Bangladesh and Nepal are auctioned during the leagues. India's own Rockfeller, Adani is the owner of a team based in Gujarat.
League Teams
As on 2020, there are at least 12 teams owned by different franchisee owners.
Patna Pirates team is one of the most successful which picked up three titles in last 6 years. Current winner of this format is Bengal Warriers. These teams are named behind different states in India but due to the high level of interest amongst the audience there is significant interest of sponsors and it helps players to make lots of money by playing games. For Example the team owners of Telgu Titans bought Siddharth Desai for a cost of ₹ 14.5 Millions in the year 2019.
Pawan Sherawat, who is not the highest paid player, is the most successful raider in the Pro leagues with highest number of points.
Players from Iran dominates the auction in foreign players category, though Pakistan is the current world champion.
As more money flows in to the sports, more viewers, aspirants get attracted to the game and sports become a line of career