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World Kabaddi League

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World Kabaddi League
SportKabaddi
Founded2014
First season2014
PresidentSukhbir Singh Badal
CommissionerPargat Singh
No. of teams8
Country India
 United States
 Canada
 United Kingdom
 Pakistan
TV partner(s)Sony SIX (India) PTC Punjabi (International)
Sponsor(s)Li Ning (company)
Official websitewww.worldkabaddi.in

The World Kabaddi League (WKL) was a professional circle-style Kabaddi league in India, United States, Canada, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. It was the first worldwide circle style kabaddi league.

History

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The league's first season was in 2014; 8 international teams played in 14 cities in 4 different countries. Three of the teams had celebrity owners.[2] The regular season was four months long, and was followed by an elimination tournament that took place in Mohali, Punjab, India, in which the top four teams determined a champion.

The league attempted a comeback in 2016, but had numerous budgetary problems.[2] After a reorganization, the league rebranded itself as the Global Kabaddi League and launched the new version in 2018.[2][3] The only team to return for the third season was the California Eagles.[2] This version of the league lasted until the final match on November 3, 2018.[4]

Teams

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Club Name Country Host City Owner
Khalsa Warriors  India London Heathrow, England, United Kingdom Akshay Kumar[5]
Yo Yo Tigers  India Toronto, Canada Honey Singh[6]
Vancouver Lions  Canada Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada Gurjit Singh Purewal
Punjab Thunder  India Surrey, British Columbia, Canada Thind Properties and Rajat Bedi
Lahore Lions  Pakistan Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan Government of Punjab, Pakistan
United Singhs  United Kingdom Birmingham, England, United Kingdom Sonakshi Sinha[7]
California Eagles  United States Stockton, California, United States Tut Group
Royal Kings  United States Sacramento, California, United States Thiara Company

Schedule

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WKL Kabaddi Matches[8][9] Date 2014 Vancouver Time(PST) Indian Standard Time (IST)
California Eagles Vs. Royal Kings USA & Khalsa Warrios Vs. Yo Yo Tigers August 9, 2014 4:30 am 5:00 pm
Vancouver Lions Vs. Lahore Lions & United Singhs Vs. Punjab Thunder August 10, 2014 4:30 am 5:00 pm
Royal Kings USA Vs. Lahore Badshahs & Vancouver Lions Vs. Yo Yo Tigers August 16, 2014 6:00 am 6:30 pm
California Eagles Vs. Punjab Thunder & Khalsa Warrios Vs. United Singh August 17, 2014 6:00 am 6:30 pm
California Eagles Vs. Punjab Thunder & Khalsa Warrios Vs. United Singhs August 23, 2014 6:30 am 7:00 pm
California Eagles Vs. United Singhs & Lahore Badshahs Vs. Punjab Thunder August 24, 2014 6:30 am 7:00 pm
Royal Kings USA Vs. Yo Yo Tigers & Khalsa Warrios Vs. Vancouver Lions August 30, 2014 6:30 am 7:00 pm
Khalsa Warrios Vs. Lahore Badshahs & Punjab Thunder Vs. Royal Kings USA August 31, 2014 6:30 am 7:00 pm

Playing technique

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Two teams of seven players face each other in a circle and take turns sending a "raider" into the other team. To win a point, the raider must take a breath, run into the opposing half, tag one member of the opposite team, then return to his home. The raider will have only 30 seconds to touch the opponents and come back to his home. The game is played with 20-minute halves and a five-minute half-time break during which teams exchange sides.

Venues

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The venues of the World Kabaddi League spanned four countries.[10]

City Country Venue Image
Abbotsford  Canada Abbotsford Arena
Amritsar  India GNDU Hockey Stadium
Birmingham  United Kingdom LG Arena
Bathinda  India Bhatinda Hockey Stadium
Delhi  India Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium
London  United Kingdom The O2 Arena[11]
Lahore  Pakistan Punjab Stadium
Jalandhar  India Burlton Park Hockey Stadium
Ludhiana  India Hockey Ground, Punjab Agricultural University
Mohali  India International Hockey Stadium
New York City  United States Nassau Coliseum
Sacramento  United States Sleep Train Arena
Stockton  United States SMG Stockton Arena
Hamilton  Canada FirstOntario Centre
Vancouver  Canada

WAVE Group Title Sponsor for World Kabaddi League 2014

Sonalika International Official Partner for World Kabaddi League 2014

Li Ning (company) signed on to be the Leagues clothing partner.

Television broadcasters

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Sony SIX has signed on to broadcast the league in India. PTC Punjabi has signed on to broadcast the league around the world.

Nation/Territory Broadcaster
 India Sony SIX
 United States of America PTC Punjabi
 United Kingdom PTC Punjabi
 Canada PTC Punjabi
 Australia PTC Punjabi
 Pakistan Geo Super

References

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  1. ^ "World Kabaddi league launched". Business Standard. Business Standard.
  2. ^ a b c d Sen, Debayan (14 October 2018). "What made the World Kabaddi League such a memorable affair?". ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  3. ^ Shafi, Faisal (19 October 2018). "Global Kabaddi League 2018 Launches in India". DESIblitz. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Global Kabaddi League: California Eagles will face Haryana Lions in the finals". 5 Dariya News. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Akshay Kumar lends glamour to kabaddi buys a team". India Today. Living Media.
  6. ^ "Rapper Honey Singh buys team in World Kabbadi League". The Times of India. The Times Group.
  7. ^ "Sonakshi Sinha co-owns team in World Kabaddi League". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited.
  8. ^ "World Kabaddi League 2014 Dates Venue & Start Timings".
  9. ^ "World Kabaddi League 2014 Schedule".
  10. ^ VENUE LIST (World Kabaddi League)[usurped]
  11. ^ "Take A Deep Breath World Kabaddi League Comes To London". The Londonist.
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