Opinion: Why Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has become so popular

The league has grown exponentially heading into its ninth season.

The sport of Kabaddi has its roots in ancient India. Historians suggest that the origins date back to the Vedic period. Mentions of Kabaddi can also be traced to a region of modern-day Eastern Iran, namely Sistan. With that said, let’s look a how the Pro Kabaddi League came about.

How the PKL was born

The idea of a kabaddi league was first pitched by Deoraj Chaturvedi, an official from the Asian Kabaddi Federation. Chaturvedi spoke to Charu Sharma, who was the kabaddi commentator for the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Sharma had the vision to promote kabaddi among Indian audiences when he started Mashal Sports in 1994 with Anand Mahindra.

In 2013, Mashal Sports and Star India combined to plant the foundations of the Pro Kabaddi League. Eight franchises were formed in 2014 with bases across India. These were Bengal Warriors, Bengaluru Bulls, Dabang Delhi, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Telugu Titans and U Mumba.

Packaged for the social media age

The league soared to popularity during its first-ever season, becoming the second-most followed sport in India after cricket. PKL registered 435m viewers in its first season, catapulting it to mainstream recognition. In its fifth season, the PKL added four new teams. These included Gujarat Giants, Haryana Steelers, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddha, increasing the total number of participating franchises to 12. This made the PKL eclipse the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Super League (ISL) in terms of the number of teams and the duration of a season.

The PKL is played in indoor stadiums according to a home-away format, The unmatched atmosphere helps amplify the hair-raising action on the mat. The venues are air-conditioned and equipped with laser lights and booming music, which enrich the matchday experience. The multi-camera telecast and colourful 3D graphics make the viewers at home feel closer to the action.

A viable career option for youngsters

National kabaddi players Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Manjeet Chillar, Sandeep Narwal, Ajay Thakur and Rahul Chaudhari reached celebrity status after the first few seasons, as their fame and recognition spread far and wide. The PKL has also been the platform for the emergence of a plethora of Indian talents, who have gone on to change their lives and become household names. Several youngsters have emerged from the league to make their national debuts while finding a place in countless Indian hearts.

The introduction of the Future Kabaddi Heroes Program has led to scouts finding the stars of tomorrow. U-22 players have emerged through the age groups and have firmly established themselves as ones to watch out for. The rise in popularity also helped in transforming the financial status of some of these players. This has made kabaddi a viable career option for youngsters, which is crucial for the long-term sustenance of the sport.

Overseas players help in spreading the league’s fame

Iranians Meraj Sheykh and Fazel Atrachali took the league by storm, coming up with clutch performances for their teams. Fazel has captained U Mumba for three seasons. Meanwhile, Esmaeil Nabibakhsh led the Bengal Warriors to their first PKL title in Season 7.

Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh was the find of Season 8. The Iranian all-rounder was a revelation at left-corner for Patna Pirates, breaking the record for the most tackle points in a season with 86. Teams have begun to invest in intensive overseas scouting programs to find the best talent. This will no doubt increase the influx of foreign players in the PKL.

Also Read: Kabaddi origin, rules and Pro Kabaddi League

The role of Star Sports in making PKL popular

Star Network India needs to be credited for increasing the marketing and advertising revenue of the PKL. They have delivered some robust partnerships and initiatives. The ‘Le Panga’ term, which was turned into a song by Amitabh Bachchan helped to consolidate the number of Hindi-speaking viewers. Regional ambassadors like Yash, Salman Khan, Vijay Sethupathi and Rana Daggubati also carried their influence over, resulting in a boom in viewership numbers.

Abhishek Bachchan owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers, Akshay Kumar owns a stake in the Bengal Warriors, Allu Arjun, Sachin Tendulkar and Ram Charan were a part of the Tamil Thalaivas and Bollywood producer Ronnie Screwvala owns U Mumba. Before Season 7, Jaipur Pink Panthers jumped on the OTT bandwagon, as a documentary titled ‘Sons of the Soil: Jaipur Pink Panthers’ was released on Amazon Prime Video to a good response.

The PKL has coverage in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. The format and prime-time slot have helped it stay engaging. Pro Kabaddi was India’s second-most searched sports event, according to Google Trends 2019. Competing with sports like cricket and football, kabaddi has held its own and managed to steadily improve its reach. Social media has helped fans stay connected to their clubs and players. The league’s initiatives like the Women’s Kabaddi Challenge (WKC) and KBD Juniors, an intra-city school tournament, have posted very encouraging numbers according to Star’s Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data.

Enticing Sponsorship Model

The IPL can have two different sponsors from the same category, whereas, in the PKL, sponsors can be present on the ground, on-air, and digitally at the same time. According to the PKL’s sponsorship model, there is no chance for a sponsor to be overshadowed by a rival from the same category. The PKL also allows a multi-franchised sponsorship deal model.

The success of the PKL has been a result of a combination of multiple factors. But, what can the future hold? There are absolutely no qualms about the PKL’s ability to captivate viewers, young and old. More tie-ups with OTT platforms, resulting in fly-on-the-wall documentaries about individual teams or the league could also be an option.

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