What is World Super Kabaddi League? Everything you need to know about the tournament

World Super Kabaddi League aims to take Kabaddi to the global level.

The World Super Kabaddi League is a franchise-based tournament that brings Kabaddi players together from around the world. This will be the second biggest league after the Pro Kabaddi League. The organisers, SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt. Ltd., recently announced that the WSKL’s inaugural season will take place in Dubai.

WSKL will be organised in February-March 2026, and will comprise players from around 30 countries as of now. The key objective of this league is to globalise Kabaddi.

Also Read: World Super Kabaddi League inaugural edition dates & venue announced

UPKL’s success led to the world stage

SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt Ltd, which also organised UPKL, has now moved towards making Kabaddi a global sport.

While speaking about taking the sport to new heights, the director and founder of the SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt. Ltd., Sambhav Jain, stated, “Kabaddi has always deserved a larger stage, not just for India but for the global sporting community. With WSKL, our goal is to reimagine the sport for a global audience, unlock international talent, and take decisive steps toward Olympic recognition.”

What is the format of the World Super Kabaddi League?

The WSKL will be played in the same format as the Pro Kabaddi League. PKL is one of the most successful leagues in India and has a massive fan following. WSKL will also follow the franchise-based model. Eight teams will participate in the inaugural season.

Each team will feature international players from several countries alongside the Indian players. The franchises will have a total player purse of INR 48 crore, i.e., each team will have a purse of INR 6 crore each to build their squad for the first season.

Later, the franchises will create a foundation of staff that will participate in an auction to construct a team according to the given guidelines.

Despite being a lot similar to the PKL, WSKL will attract more attention for a few reasons. One of the reasons will be the enormous participation from around the globe. Moreover, unlike the PKL, this league will feature more international players, which will attract people from different parts of the world to the sport.

Which countries’ players will participate in this league?

Kabaddi-playing countries, South Korea, Iran, Thailand, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, and the United States have already shown their keen interest and support for this upcoming league.

Credible backing

The league is backed by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF). It also has commercial rights through the South Asian Kabaddi Federation, which makes it a credible destination for both players as well as spectators.

Words from the founder

Sambhav Jain is a futurist when it comes to Kabaddi. He aims to take the sport to new heights and provide it the fan following it deserves. Jain does not want to leave WSKL as an exhibition league, but he intends to make it a yearly phenomenon that becomes a household part.

During the announcement of the inaugural edition of the league, Jain said, “The success of UPKL gave us the foundation, but WSKL is about creating a Kabaddi league that belongs to the world. We are building this with a vision for the next decade, not just the next season.”

The organisers have a vision about Kabaddi and this league, and they are moving ahead with confidence. The blueprint is ready, and the sport is set to flourish brilliantly with upcoming projects on the international stage.

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