MUMBAI: They tackled language barriers like a raider takes on defenders and came out with the trophy. The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has added a digital feather to its cap, bagging the ‘Social Media Campaign’ award in the Multilingual Campaign category at the ET Brand Equity Trendies 2025. The win celebrates PKL Season 11’s innovative and inclusive digital engagement strategy, executed by Mashal Sports in collaboration with Sportz Interactive, which saw fans across linguistic and cultural divides connect like never before.
Held from October 18 to December 29, 2024, Season 11 wasn’t just action-packed on the mat, it was a slam dunk online too. The campaign’s multilingual format reached deep into regional fanbases, ensuring that the raiding and defending didn’t just speak one language, but many.
The digital blitz hit the sweet spot, delivering high engagement across platforms like Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, X, and the Pro Kabaddi app, with vernacular content crafted for fans from every corner of the country. The league’s social-first, fan-first approach resonated with a wide base, helping PKL boost brand affinity and reinforce its position as one of India’s most loved sporting leagues.
And the kabaddi action doesn’t stop there. The buzz now shifts to the Season 12 Player Auction, which will be held on May 31 and June 1, 2025, in Mumbai. Fans can catch Category A auction proceedings live on the Star Sports Network and Jiocinema starting 7 pm on May 31.
For those who want real-time updates (in the language of their choice, no less), PKL’s Live Auction Centre on prokabaddi.com and the Pro Kabaddi official app will be the go-to. With the social handles prokabaddi across platforms staying in beast mode, fans can expect another season of full-contact, full-volume entertainment on and off the mat.
If Season 11 was about digital dominance, Season 12 promises to be a perfectly executed raid into uncharted fan territories.
New Delhi: Mashal Sports, the organisers of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), announced that PKL has been honoured with the ‘Best Sports League of the Year’ award at CII Sports Business Awards 2024.
The award ceremony was held as part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Score Card 2024 event in New Delhi on Friday, 18 October, which was also the day that the 11th edition of the PKL took flight.
Pro Kabaddi League league commissioner Anupam Goswami expressed his excitement about the award, “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from CII. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in making Pro Kabaddi League a resounding success since its inception in 2014. As we look to the future, we are committed to taking PKL to even greater heights, further popularizing kabaddi and contributing to India’s vision of becoming a global sporting powerhouse.”
Pro Kabaddi League director Charu Sharma added by saying, “India’s unique heritage sport – which went international many decades ago – has catapulted into a highly visible, reputed, professional league 10 years ago thanks to the PKL. The story of Kabaddi is truly fascinating. I am delighted that India’s premier corporate agency, the CII, has appreciated the extreme attention Mashal Sports showers on good governance, earning the PKL respect and sustainability. Winning CII’s award for ‘Best Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Awards is a truly gratifying recognition of all the hard work contributed by the entire Mashal Sports team, led by Anupam Goswami.”
Mumbai: Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), has unveiled its first campaign film for the upcoming PKL Season 11, featuring Riteish Deshmukh. With the tournament set to start on 18 October 2024, this action-packed campaign film takes viewers deep into the heart of an untamed jungle. The intensity of Kabaddi is brought to life through epic visuals, raw power, and relentless grit. The film, which will be released in multiple languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil, sets the stage for what promises to be the most thrilling PKL season yet.
In the promo, Riteish steps into the shoes of a lone warrior, showcasing stealth and agility of a tiger as he navigates dangerous predators – a vivid metaphor for the sharp instincts, speed, and mental toughness that define kabaddi champions. The film brilliantly captures the pulse-pounding essence of kabaddi, drawing viewers into a world where each move is a battle, and every decision could be the difference between victory and defeat.
The gripping visuals, combined with the evocative song that underscores the narrative, highlights the raw power and strategy at the core of the sport, elevating anticipation for Season 11 to new heights.
Riteish Deshmukh said: “Kabaddi is a sport that is woven into the fabric of our culture, and being a part of this campaign is an absolute honour. The intensity and pride we captured in the film reflect the warrior spirit of kabaddi players – fierce, fearless, and ready to face any challenge. PKL has become a national sensation, and I’m sure this season will take that excitement to another level.”
As part of integrating fans into the sport, Mashal Sports and Star Sports launched the “Define Your Team’s Superpower” campaign, inviting fans to vote for their team’s superpowers, which shaped the PKL 11 campaign across TV and digital platforms. The polls for Puneri Paltan and U Mumbai received 105k votes and achieved 1.12 million views, 1.45 million reach, and 119k interactions. The top fan-chosen traits—surprise & stealth—are highlighted in the Riteish Deshmukh promo film, reflecting Maharashtra’s spirit. The remaining team polls continue to be amplified as the season approaches.
This time around, PKL will be returning to a three-city format. The 2024 edition will commence at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad from 18 October to 9 November. It will then move to the Noida Indoor Stadium for the second leg, starting on November 10 and ending on 1 December. The third leg will begin at the Badminton Hall in Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from 3 December to 24 December. With star players such as Pawan Sehrawat, Pardeep Narwal, and Fazel Atrachali set to dominate the mat, PKL 11 ensures that Kabaddi will capture the attention of both die-hard fans and new viewers alike.
The season opener will see a thrilling face-off between Telugu Titans and Bengaluru Bulls, setting the stage for a high-octane season. The second match of the night promises more fireworks, as U Mumba locks horns with the dynamic Dabang Delhi K.C. Fans across India can prepare for a season filled with drama, intensity, and non-stop action, live on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar!
Watch the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11, live and exclusive on the Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar, from 18 October 2024 onwards.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports, organisers of Pro Kabaddi League, announced that PKL season 11 will begin on 18 October 2024. After successfully completing ten seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League earlier this year, the world’s biggest kabaddi league will embark into a new phase in October.
In season 11, the Pro Kabaddi League will return to the three-city caravan format. The 2024 edition will commence at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on 18 October, before moving to the Noida Indoor Stadium for the second leg from 10 November. The third leg will take place at the Balewadi Badminton Stadium in Pune, from 3 December onwards.
The dates and venue for the playoffs will be announced at a later date.
Speaking on the announcement of the dates for PKL season 11, Pro Kabaddi League – league commissioner – Anupam Goswami said, “We are delighted to announce the start date and venues for PKL Season 11. After successfully completing 10 seasons, PKL Season 11 will mark a new milestone in the continued rise of the league. This would strengthen the growth of Kabaddi in India and elsewhere around the world.”
The Pro Kabaddi League season 11 auction was held in Mumbai from 15-16 August 2024, with eight players going for over Rs 1 crore, a new record in the league’s history.
Mashal Sports and Disney Star have built PKL into one of the most successful sports leagues in India. Organized and conducted by Mashal under its sanctioned agreement with the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), the Pro Kabaddi League has transformed the image of India’s indigenous sport of Kabaddi and its athletes nationally as well as across the globe. After witnessing the participation of many of their players in PKL, several Kabaddi-playing nations have strengthened their domestic Kabaddi programs as well.
The Pro Kabaddi League season 11 will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on Disney+ Hotstar.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports, organisers of the vivo Pro Kabaddi League, has announced the dates for the ninth season of the league. The league will start on 7 October 2022 and will go on till mid-December. The league stage will be conducted in Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad.
Mashal Sports conducted the player auction in Mumbai on 5-6 August, 2022, according to the media release.
Mashal Sports executive head and vivo Pro Kabaddi league commissioner Anupam Goswami said, “Mashal Sports started the journey of vivo Pro Kabaddi League with a vision of taking the indigenous sport of kabaddi to the world of contemporary and upcoming generations of sports fans.”
We continue to achieve impressive success in this goal, as was proven earlier this year by vivo PKL season eight, which was conducted in a comprehensive bio-bubble. Now, we are even more enthusiastic about the upcoming vivo PKL season 9 as our fans will be back in stadiums across Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad to experience the pulsating action up-close of their favourite teams and stars,” he added.
Further details and schedule for the new season will be shared in the coming weeks.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports has announced the second part of the ongoing vivo Pro Kabaddi League with next 33 matches to be played from 20 January to 4 February. The event will be broadcast live every day from 7:30 p.m onwards on Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar.
Out of 132 matches, PKL season 8 has already witnessed 66 matches between 12 teams and the next 33 matches will include ‘rivalry week’ where playing teams are selected for popular sentiments and folklore between respective geographies. The ‘rivalry week’ of PKL season 8 will be played from 31 January to 4 February.
“A notable feature of Pro Kabaddi is that it offers the highest number of matches among front-ranking Indian sports leagues,” said Mashal Sports CEO and PKL league commissioner Anupam Goswami. “This is a unique value proposition for its 12 Teams, its athlete pool, as well as sports fans and sponsors in our country’s sports ecosystem. The completion of 66 matches of the first half of season 8, as well as the release of the next 33 matches, is proof of our commitment to this intrinsic value of Pro Kabaddi.”
“We are proud to be associated with Pro Kabaddi, which has undertaken the massive task of conducting its eighth season in the given challenging circumstances,” said vivo India director brand strategy Yogendra Sriramula.
Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League, one of the fastest-growing sports franchises in terms of viewership is all set to return on 22 December, after a two-year hiatus, imposed by the pandemic.
Like sporting events, the league has also undergone format changes owing to Covid-19 protocols. This time, all matches will be played in Bengaluru, sans any LIVE audience to cheer their favourite teams. But, this may not mar the enthusiasm of the fans who have been waiting for the sporting event, say agency experts. The official broadcaster Star Sports Network too has upped its ante and pushed its marketing efforts to regain the viewership that the series enjoyed pre-pandemic.
Will PKL see a similar resurgence in viewership like the IPL?
According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc), the sports genre had 2.4 per cent share in the overall TV viewership before Covid struck. This decreased to 0.7 per cent during the first lockdown, then increased marginally to 0.8 per cent during Unlock period, and grew once again to 4.1 per cent by the end of the year. The Indian Premier League (13th season) that was aired between week 38 and week 45 increased sports viewership by six times compared to previous weeks (week 34-37). (BARC Yearbook 2020)
“IPL in 2020 had a format shift due to Covid-19, however TV ratings saw an increase by about 50 per cent. One of the major reasons was high TV viewership during pandemic and lockdown. But, the viewership went back to 2019 levels in 2021,” said MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
It is also significant to note that IPL was the only major sports event that was aired in the pandemic year 2020. Since people were confined to their homes and starved of LIVE sports action, TV viewership increased across genres. While, PKL may not have that advantage, because 2021 has turned out to be a tremendous year for LIVE sports with a packed sporting event calendar, especially in the second half.
“Looking at the ratings trend this year, the numbers might be slightly lower than what the last season did, as the overall numbers have changed in the past two years,” said dentsu Amplifi India group trading director Sujata Dwibedy. “But, good marketing from the (Star Sports) network, across media is expected. This should pull more viewers.”
Campaign in full swing
Star Sports has already kicked off the promotions for the eighth season of PKL roping in M S Dhoni for their ad campaign. More recently, the broadcaster released a regional ad film playing up the opening match of PKL between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas on 22 December. The promo featured movie star Naga Chaitanya, indicating that the marketing efforts are in full swing.
“In 2019, PKL witnessed 50-55 per cent growth in viewership from the previous season across different audiences and markets,” observed MediaCom managing partner Vishal Shah.
Kabaddi being a homegrown sport, the league has enormous support and viewership from the Tier II and III towns. PKL viewership base largely comes from markets like Andhra Pradesh/Telangana (32 per cent) followed by Maharashtra/Goa (24 per cent), Karnataka (12 per cent) and Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (seven per cent) and Kerala (five per cent), as per the BARC data.
The viewership for PKL is much more evenly spread out according to dentsu’s Dwibedy. “It is not necessary that only people from the hinterland and Tier II towns have been viewing it (PKL), it has its loyal fans across demographics and across audiences but is skewed towards males,” she added.
No LIVE audience at this year’s spectacle
This year PKL will be missing LIVE audiences and will shed the caravan style format. Instead, all teams will play at a single location in Bengaluru. Looking back at IPL last year, media planners suggest that format changes will have little to no impact on the viewership of the tournament. Mashal Sports has also announced that triple headers will be played on all Saturdays which may have a positive impact on the viewership over weekends.
New categories of advertisers likely
Ad rates and sponsorship for PKL are likely to see a premium in proportion to the growth in audiences that the event saw in 2019.
According to dentsu’s Dwibedy, brands who found cricket very expensive but want to still associate with some impactful property will be looking to partner with PKL, along with brands who genuinely see a fit with PKL and want to amplify their presence through the series. “We could also see some new categories of advertisers emerging as sponsors,” she added.
“The other opportunity is also to do with the season and timing, IPL has always been a popular choice for summer brands whereas PKL is happening in a period that will attract winter seasonal brands,” said Mediacom’s Shah.
Categories such as e-sports, e-pharmacy, auto, telecom, beverages, mobile handsets, paan masala, deodorants, paints, and cement have consistently been associated with the tournament and are expected to do the same this year.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports has announced the schedule of the first half for Vivo Pro Kabaddi League season eight that will begin from 22 December at 7:30 p.m. The entire season will be conducted at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre without spectators.
As a special format for PKL season eight, Mashal has scheduled ‘Triple Headers’ on the first four days to ensure that kabaddi fans across the country get to watch each of their favourite teams play in the very initial days of the league.
PKL season eight will begin with U Mumba facing Bengaluru Bulls in the tournament opener. The league’s ‘Southern Derby’ will then take centre-stage as Telugu Titans lock horns with Tamil Thalaivas in the second match and UP Yoddha square off with the defending champions Bengal Warriors in the last match of the opening day.
This season will feature ‘Triple Panga’ driven by Triple Headers on all Saturdays through the course of the tournament ensuring that kabaddi aficionados have their fill of ‘Thigh-Five’ entertainment. The new format will raise the excitement for the season’s weekends and keep fans hooked onto the action, even as the contending teams focus on the first-part schedule to establish a vantage position vis-à-vis their competitors. The release of the season’s second-part schedule by mid-January is also expected to help PKL Teams assess and rebuild their competition strategies for the second half of the tournament.
“The Vivo Pro Kabaddi League is known for reinvigorating and popularising India’s own sport of kabaddi, and with the new format, we aim to continue reinventing the sport,” said Mashal Sports chief executive officer and league commissioner Vivo Pro Kabaddi League Anupam Goswami. “Releasing the schedule in two halves will help teams strategize better and keep the fans engaged. The triple headers and ‘Triple Panga’ will provide more fans more opportunities to watch their favourite players and teams in action as they battle it out for the coveted title.”
Keeping the health and safety of players in mind, Mashal Sports will be undertaking the task of converting the entire venue at Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel and Convention Centre into a single integrated and secure bio-bubble. With this unique setup, all 12 teams will be staying and playing at the same venue as Mashal Sports is focusing on following and adhering to the safety protocols set by the authorities.
Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season eight is set to return on 22 December, announced the organiser Mashal Sports.
The player auctions for the season were conducted on 29-31 August. Keeping in mind the safety and health of players and stakeholders, this year the league will be held without spectators, at a single venue in Bengaluru, moving away from the traditional caravan format.
Season eight of Vivo PKL will be broadcasted live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.
“We are very privileged that Season 8 of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League will be hosted in Karnataka, especially as this state is a very significant geography for kabaddi and PKL fans in India,” said Vivo Pro Kabaddi League league commissioner and Mashal Sports chief executive officer Anupam Goswami. “Bengaluru has all the facilities for the conduct of big competitive sports events with best safety practices, and we look forward to demonstrating this with PKL Season 8.”
The league will implement protocols to comply with government regulations and guidelines and will work with specialized safety agencies to implement stringent safety practices and create a bio–secure bubble, a first for any professional indoor contact sports league in India.
“Kabaddi is a genuine indigenous sport of India and very popular in Karnataka. We welcome and support the conduct of forthcoming Pro Kabaddi Season 8 in our state,” said Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Mumbai: Mashal Sports plans to commence the eighth season of vivo Pro Kabaddi League in December 2021.
The company has announced that the player auction for the latest season will take place between 29 and 31 August. The three-day auction process in Mumbai will be telecast on the Star Sports Network.
This player auction will see domestic, overseas, and new young players (NYPs) divided into four Categories: Category A, B, C and D. Within each category, the players will be further subdivided as ‘All-Rounders’, ‘Defenders’ and ‘Raiders’. Base prices for each of the categories are Category A – Rs 30 Lakh, Category B – Rs 20 Lakh, Category C –Rs 10 lakh, Category D – Rs 6 lakh.
The total salary purse applicable to each franchisee for its squad for season eight is Rs 4.4 crore. The player pool has been expanded to 500+ athletes including all squad players from PKL season six and seven, as well as all players who have represented the top eight ranked teams of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India’s (AKFI) senior men’s national Kabaddi championships of 2020 and 2021 amongst others.
Before going into the auction, the PKL teams are also expected to exercise their choice of retention of PKL season seven squads as per the league policies. For each PKL season, teams are allowed to retain up to six players under the elite retained players category and up to six NYPs under stipulated conditions. Of the 500+ players from the player pool, players who are not retained by the franchisees will go under the hammer which will be broadcast live.
“PKL season eight, will be conducted as per strict government rules and safety protocols with the support and cooperation of all our stakeholders and associates in the national kabaddi ecosystem under the AKFI”, said Mashaal Sports, chief executive officer and PKL, league commissioner, Anupam Goswami.
