Major change in PKL 12; number of games reduced

PKL 12 is set to begin on Friday, August 29.

The schedule of Pro Kabaddi League Season 12 (PKL 12) has been announced. Some big changes have been made this season compared to the previous season. It’s been more than a decade since the league was launched and has seen immense growth, second only to the ever-growing Indian Premier League.

Much like every league, the satisfaction of all stakeholders was needed. The same situation prevailed in PKL as well, with some stakeholders raising concerns over the league’s format.

Also Read: PKL 12 schedule announced, Pawan Sehrawat vs Vijay Malik in opening match

For the last few seasons, the league was running for 12-13 weeks, which was too long, leading to a drop in fan participation/viewership in the later stages. The hosting budget was also too high. Organisers have found ways to address these issues to keep the league’s interest alive throughout the season. Let’s take a look.

League matches reduced from 132 to 108

PKL followed the traditional round-robin format in the league stage, with each team facing all other teams twice. A total of 132 league games were played, but the organisers have reduced the number of league matches to 108 in PKL 12.

According to the old format, each team had to play 22 matches in the league, which has been reduced to 18. A franchise will play two games against seven teams and one game against four teams.

Also Read: PKL 12 venues announced; Four cities to host Pro Kabaddi 2025

Four cities to host the league

The PKL adopted the successful home-and-away model of the Indian Premier League when the league was inaugurated with eight teams. It brought success with fans establishing a connection with the franchise. The organisers then decided to expand the league to 12 cities in the fifth season.

But the logistics costs were proving to be on the higher side, and it was affecting the Business model of the league. Last year, the league was reduced to three cities, and this year, PKL will be held in four cities.

After seven years, Vizag will host the league. After this, the caravan will move towards Jaipur and Chennai and finally end in the national capital, Delhi.

Three matches in a day in the last leg

Kabaddi is a game of excitement, and the earlier 13-week format was considered too long to maintain the excitement. Hence, they have decided to reduce it to nine weeks. To ensure the exhilaration levels aren’t reduced, the organisers have scheduled three games in a day for the last week of the league stage.

Having three matches in a day ensures that qualification scenarios are resolved quickly. Last year, three teams were eliminated very early, resulting in a drop in viewership. Organizers hope this new move will change that.

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