Exclusive: Telugu Titans' CEO reveals how PKL teams make money and scout NYPs

The CEO of Telugu Titans made several surprising revelations.

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is India’s second most-watched league, coming after the IPL. Currently, the 10th season of PKL is underway, and many big stars are participating. The team of Telugu Titans is also playing in the 10th season of PKL, but their performance has been quite poor so far. The team has won only two matches, and they are at the bottom of the points table.

However, the CEO of Telugu Titans, Jeeru Trinadh, remains present in the stadium for every match to support his team. Every time, he appears to boost the morale of his players. During an exclusive conversation with Khel Now, he revealed many things related to the league.

How do teams earn money in PKL?

Often, the biggest question in the mind of a common fan is how the teams playing earn money. What are the benefits of winning tournaments, and how do teams profit? During the conversation with Khel Now, the CEO of Telugu Titans explained the entire process of how a franchise makes money.

He said, “All 12 teams receive money from the league’s broadcast. These funds are received at the end of the season. Another source is sponsorship. It is the main means of earning money. When the TRP numbers come in, the visibility of Telugu Titans is the highest. Whether we win or lose, fans watch us. Although despite receiving support and high TRP, when we approach sponsors, they say that your performance is not good.

So, we cannot tie up with you. Despite this, sponsors want to associate with the team because it benefits them. Now, many leagues have also started, making it quite difficult to get sponsors. Apart from this, there is also money from tickets in home legs. In total, it can be said that no team incurs a loss.”

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Do PKL players earn sufficient money?

In comparison to other leagues, it seems that players in the PKL may receive relatively less money. However, according to the CEO of Titans, Jeeru Trinadh, if we compare it to the past, kabaddi players now receive adequate money.

He said, “If you compare, back when players used to play in mud, the entire tournament prize was up to 5,000. Now, we have a purse value that allows us to spend such amounts. Everything depends on the franchise on which players they want to acquire. For instance, our purse value was five crores, and after giving 2.6 crores to Pawan Sehrawat, the remaining money has to be distributed among other players.”

Furthermore, when players are categorized by the league based on their performance from the previous season, each team strategizes on how much money to spend on each player.

Scouting method for NYPs

Every season, several young players are selected for the PKL. These young players eventually become big players like Pawan Sehrawat and Pardeep Narwal. To select these NYPs (New Young Players), Titans’ coaches scout throughout the year.

Jeeru Trinath explained, “In Telugu Titans, we have managers and coaches. Wherever important tournaments are held in India, such as Khelo India, University Games, Senior Nationals, Inter-Services matches, and Haryana, we organize tournaments worth one crore, and there these people go to scout for players. We tell them to go and scout and take their videos. After doing this, we call the selected players for a trial. They have a seven-day camp, and after that, we decide which players to go ahead with.”

CEO of Telugu Titans makes surprising revelations about trails

In this season, the Titans also selected young raider Robin Chaudhary in the New Young Players category. However, behind his selection, CEO Trinadh revealed an interesting story. He explained how Robin Chaudhary came to play in the Pro Panja League and how he was selected from there.

He said, “This time, we conducted an All-India trial of such a big level for the first time, and we will continue it continuously. I tell you one thing that Robin Chaudhary came to play in the Pro Panja League in Noida. When I was told about him that he is tall and has skills, I called him and took him to Delhi.

I told the assistant coach to take a trial of Robin. When his trial happened, I said that I need this player in my team. He is young now, and as he plays, he will learn and improve. As soon as this season ends, we will conduct an All-India trial once again.”

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