Sachin Tendulkar and N Prasad to be co-owners of a franchise in Pro Kabaddi League

Four new teams are going to be inducted in the Pro Kabaddi League in the coming season. The names of the teams are not decided yet but they are going to represent states: Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Sachin Tendulkar in partnership with N Prasad will own one of these teams.

The teams will be owned and operated as Adani Wilmar Ltd for Gujarat, by Adani Group; GMR League Games Pvt. Ltd for Uttar Pradesh, by GMR Group; JSW Sports Pvt. Ltd for Haryana, by JSW Group and Iquest Enterprises Pvt. Ltd for Tami Nadu, by Sachin and Prasad.

Since its inception in 2014, PKL had eight teams – Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Patna, Pune, and Jaipur. Famous Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan owns the Jaipur franchise known as the Jaipur Pink Panthers.

The broadcasters, Star India – who also hold 74% stake in PSL, initiated a tender process last month to increase the number of franchises to 12 from the existing 8. This year, PKL would have one season between July-October instead of the usual norm of conducting two seasons. Vivo Electronics acquired the title sponsorship rights for PKL in a 5-year deal valued at Rs 300 crores.

“With the support of existing and new partners, we are well on our course to realising a socially transformative sports agenda. The interest shown by these corporates is evidence of the immense potential of Kabaddi,” Uday Shankar, chairman and chief executive officer, Star India said in a statement.

Big success since inception

With the presence of big celebrities in the league as owners, the glamour has ensured that the PKL is a big hit amongst the viewers. In the first season itself, a record 435 million viewers tuned in to watch the league.

With four new franchises set for their debut, the PKL has surpassed other sporting leagues in the country in terms of geographic terms and length of time. The league will run for 13 weeks time and represent 11 states in the total 130 plus matches.

Janardan Singh Gehlot, President, International Kabaddi Federation, said in a statement, “The addition of 4 new teams to the ever-growing VIVO Pro Kabaddi League signifies a promising road ahead for the sport in India as well as over the world,”