PKL Seasons 1-5: A Quick Recap
The sixth season of Pro Kabaddi League will commence on 7th October with Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas facing each other in the opening game. This league has been a huge success in the last 4 years since its inception and it is becoming bigger and stronger by each passing season. The last season itself made new records in terms of viewership. It is the most popular league in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian Super League (ISL).
A total of 12 teams will be participating in the tournament making it the biggest franchise-based league in India, in terms of the number of teams. The tournament will last over three months, during which a total of 138 matches will be played. Fans are eagerly waiting to see their favourite players back in action. But before that happens, let's take a brief look back at the previous five seasons of VIVO Pro Kabaddi League.
Season 1
The inaugural season of PKL was played from 26 July 2014 to 31 August 2014. Eight teams participated in the first edition and total 60 matches were played. Out of the 8 teams, four advanced to the Playoff Stage - Jaipur Pink Panthers, U Mumba, Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls. Jaipur Pink Panthers and U Mumba further progressed to the finals after defeating Patna Pirates and Bengaluru Bulls.
The Jaipur-based franchise won the trophy by beating U Mumba by 11 points in the finals. The key players that helped Jaipur clinch the title were Maninder Singh, Jasvir Singh, Rajesh Narwal, Rohit Rana and Prashant Chavan. U Mumba captain Anup Kumar was named the most valuable player, while Telugu Titans’ Rahul Chaudhari was adjudged the best raider.