Pro Kabaddi: Five reasons why salary caps should be increased for teams

Many teams can find 4.40 crores restrictive in their pursuit of high caliber players.

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is one of the most popular leagues in India. In fact, it is the second most prominent league after the IPL. With a new edition of the league set to begin from October 7, players are all pumped up to showcase their skills once again. Kabaddi fans are not leaving any stone unturned in supporting their favourite franchise.

PKL, in terms of popularity, is way more popular than other leagues apart from cricket. However, the salary caps of the players are way too low compared to IPL. Here, we have listed out some reasons why the salary caps should increase in the PKL.

Number of matches

The teams in the Pro Kabaddi League play around 22 group matches before qualifying for the next round. This number is huge compared to other leagues. The players are not being paid according to their efforts and performances. Starting with the base price of 10 or 20 lakh is fine, but the bids of 1 lakh per turn is way too low. In the IPL, there is at least a bid of 5 lakh per turn. This is one of the primary reasons why many PKL players do not go for big amounts.

Big sponsors

PKL is currently sponsored by Vivo, and the owners of the respective franchises are also well-established across industries. Thus, there shouldn’t be any problem in increasing the salary caps of the players and management. If the league is so huge and is sponsored by various big brands, then raising the salary cap shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Motivation factor

It is very important for players to get a good price to play in the league. This would not only help raise their performances, but would also motivate them to play to their fullest potential. Sometimes, too much money increases the pressure on players to perform well, but it is up to the Kabaddi player himself how he approaches that phase.

Also, if the pay package improves, players would be motivated to remain in shape even during off-seasons. In such a scenario, players would have longer careers, better marketability and better performances as well.

Duration of the league

PKL runs for almost three months due to its large number of matches and with 12 teams involved. Staying away from everything for three months is not easy, and one should be paid handsomely for this tough task. During the initial seasons, the games were fewer because the number of teams were less, but now the situation is completely different. Owners and PKL management have to take this collective decision to raise the salary cap of the players.

Massive fan base

With Kabaddi having a huge fan following now, there is no reason not to increase the salary cap of the players. Millions are watching PKL and an enormous amount of money is being generated. Thus, increasing the salary caps of the players will be peanuts for the sponsors. Also, the auction is a remarkable event for bidding for the player one requires, but some changes should be made. The base price and the bid amount must be hiked, as in IPL. With this change, even if a player doesn’t find any second bid, he would go for his base price at least.

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