5 similarities between Pro Kabaddi 2022 and IPL 2021
The Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Premier League are two of the biggest sports leagues in India. Both tournaments have a massive fan following in the country.
Both leagues have quite a few common cities that have their franchises in the competition. Pro Kabaddi 2022 and IPL 2021 had an almost similar format, where every team played against another team twice and half of them progressed to the next round.
Interestingly, there were some other similarities between PKL 8 and IPL 14 as well. In this listicle, we will look at the top five such similarities:
#1 Team that finished 2nd in the league stage won the competition
Dabang Delhi KC won Pro Kabaddi 2022 by defeating the Patna Pirates in the final match. The Delhi-based franchise had finished second in the league points table with 12 wins from 22 matches.
Similarly, in IPL 2021, the Chennai Super Kings attained second spot in the league round and went on to win the championship. Both teams were also captained by veteran players (MS Dhoni and Joginder Narwal).
#2 The runners-up lost a final for the first time
The Kolkata Knight Riders played two IPL finals before meeting the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021 Final. The Knight Riders emerged victorious in their previous final appearances, but they lost to CSK by 27 runs in the IPL 2021 Final.
Similarly, the Patna Pirates had a 3-0 win-loss record in Pro Kabaddi League finals prior to this edition's summit clash. Dabang Delhi KC became the first team to defeat Patna in a PKL Final.
#3 Teams from Telangana finished last
The Telugu Titans had a forgettable season in Pro Kabaddi 2022. Despite having a strong squad, the Titans finished last because of injury issues. The Hyderabad-based franchise managed only one win in 22 matches.
In IPL 2021, the Sunrisers Hyderabad took the wooden spoon home after managing only three wins from 14 games. While SRH have revamped their squad ahead of IPL 2022, the Telugu Titans will be keen to take the same route and make a fresh start in PKL 9.
#4 Bengaluru eliminated in the playoffs
Royal Challengers Bangalore attained third spot in the IPL 2021 points table and qualified for the Eliminator match. The Virat Kohli-led outfit lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders in that knockout game and were eliminated from the competition.
In Pro Kabaddi 2022, the Bengaluru Bulls won the Eliminator but were knocked out of the competition after losing to Dabang Delhi KC in the semifinals.
#5 An eliminated team's star lost an individual award
Tamil Thalaivas defender Sagar Rathee was the number one defender in PKL 2022 when the league stage culminated.
However, he lost the Best Defender of the Tournament award to Mohammadreza Chiyaneh, who overtook Sagar by scoring points in the playoffs round.
Similarly, KL Rahul was the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2021 when the playoffs began. However, he lost the award to Ruturaj Gaikwad after the right-handed batter's brilliant batting performances in the playoffs.