Pro Kabaddi League: Patna Pirates undisputed champions for the last three seasons

New Delhi, June 1: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) has emerged as one of the most popular leagues in the country in no time and helped kabaddi reach the masses.

The home-grown league has provided a platform to the domestic kabaddi players and made the indigenous game, which was considered a game of dust only meant for rural areas, became an uber cool touch sport.

With the punch of money and glamour involved in PKL, kabaddi is getting popular with every passing season and testimony to the same is the soaring viewership records.

As per the organisers, the fifth edition of PKL touched new highs in terms of viewership records. It was viewed by a staggering 313 million viewers with a watch time of 100 billion minutes, with the finals becoming the most viewed non-cricket sporting event on Indian television.

Patna Pirates have been a team to beat in the league as they are the reigning champions for the last three consecutive seasons. The Patna-based franchise lifted their first PKL trophy in season 3 and went on repeating their success in the next two seasons.

Season 3 - Final - Patna Pirates defeated defending champions U Mumba.

Season 4 - Final - Patna Pirates beat Jaipur Pink Panthers.

Season 5 - Final - Patna Pirates thrashed debutants Gujarat Fortunegiants.

The sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi will begin on 19th October 2018. It promises to be the biggest kabaddi spectacle of the year and is planned to carry on for a duration of 13 weeks, consistent with the format of Season V of the league. Pro Kabaddi Season VII will commence on 19th July 2019 and will maintain the 13-week format.

The players' auction for the sixth edition of PKL sprang up few surprises during its auction. With the rising popularity of the league, the players are now raking in the moolah. As many as six players invited bids in excess of Rs 1 crore and set new records during PKL 2018 Auction. The franchises had already retained 9 elite players with them.