New Delhi

The 11th season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is set to begin on October 18, featuring an exciting opening match between the Telugu Titans and the Bengaluru Bulls at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. The game will showcase Telugu Titans’ star raider Pawan Sehrawat and Bengaluru Bulls’ Pardeep Narwal, who is making a notable return.

In the second match, U Mumba’s Sunil Kumar, who became the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history with a bid of Rs. 1.015 crore, will face Naveen Kumar from Dabang Delhi K.C., a top raider known for his attacking skills.

This season, PKL will follow a three-city format. The tournament starts in Hyderabad and will run from October 18 to November 9. It will then move to Noida from November 10 to December 1 and conclude in Pune from December 3 to December 24. The schedule for the playoffs will be announced later. The PKL Season 11 auction took place on August 15-16, 2024, in Mumbai. Tamil Thalaivas’ Sachin was the most expensive buy at Rs 2.15 crore.

The auction saw eight players sold for over Rs 1 crore, setting a new league record. A total of 118 players were sold across 12 franchises. Notably, Ajith V Kumar went to Puneri Paltan for Rs 66 lakh, Jai Bhagwan to Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 63 lakh, and Arjun Rathi to Bengal Warriorz for Rs 41 lakh.