New Delhi:
After the glitz and glamour of the power packed Indian Premier League, the stage is set for the raiders and the defenders to set the mat ablaze with Season 5 of the Pro Kabaddi League.
The 2017 Pro Kabaddi League season shall be the fifth season of Pro Kabaddi League, a professional sports league in India which came into existence since 2014. The three-month long league shall be organised by Mashal Sports and televised on Star Sports. Season Five shall feature twelve teams after four new franchises from Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Gujarat got added to the existing eight teams.
Opening Ceremony:
The opening ceremony shall be held on the first match of every leg in each stadium. This is similar to that of IPL 2017. It is done so to highlight the importance of the tradition and culture all over the country.
Teams:
12 teams shall be locking horns against each other to emerge as the ultimate Champion of the league. The 12 teams featuring in season 5 are listed as below -
Bengal Warriors, Bengaluru Bulls, Dabang Delhi, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Telugu Titans, U Mumba, UP Yoddha, Tamil Talaivas, Haryana Stellers and Gujarat FortuneGiants
Matches:
The league will feature over 130 matches spread across a time period of 13 weeks across 11 states.
Auctions:
The teams bid hard in the auctions for the fifth season held in May, before which the existing teams were allowed to retain one player each. The auction saw over 400 players go under the hammer and a total of Rs 46.99 crore spent by the 12 franchises.
The most expensive pick of the auction was raider Nitin Tomar, who was bought by the Uttar Pradesh team for a sum of Rs 93 lakh. Rohit Kumar came in second after the Bengaluru Bulls picked him for a staggering Rs 81 lakh price. Abozar Mohajermighani was the highest overseas pick in this year's auction after being snapped up by the Gujarat franchisee.
Prize Money
Like every passing edition, the tournament is yet again going to dole out lucrative prize money, with the winner taking home a lucrative sum of INR 3 crore. The first and second runner ups will be rewarded with a prize of INR 2 crore and INR 1 crore respectively.
