World Kabaddi League

Global Kabaddi LeagueSport| Circle style kabaddi

|

Founded| 2014
First season| 2014
CEO| Raman Raheja
President| Sukhbir Singh Badal
Commissioner| Pargat Singh
Country|  India
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Pakistan

The Global Kabaddi League (GKL), formerly World Kabaddi League (WKL), was a professional circle-style kabaddi league with teams from various countries.

## History

[edit]

### First season: 2014

[edit]

The league's first season was in 2014 in which 8 international teams played in 14 cities in 4 different countries. Three of the teams had celebrity owners.[1] 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. Khalsa Warriors beat United Singhs to win the inaugural season.[2]

#### Teams

[edit]

Club Name  | Country  | Host City  | Owner

|
|
|

Khalsa Warriors |  India  | London Heathrow, England, United Kingdom  | Akshay Kumar[3]
Yo Yo Tigers |  India  | Toronto, Canada  | Honey Singh[4]
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[5]
California Eagles |  United States  | Stockton, California, United States  | Tut Group
Royal Kings |  United States  | Sacramento, California, United States  | Thiara Company

#### Venues

[edit]

The venues of the World Kabaddi League spanned four countries.[6]

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[7] |
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  |  |

#### Television broadcasters

[edit]

Sony SIX has signed on to broadcast the league in India.[8] 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

### Second season: 2016

[edit]

The second season of the league was held in 2016, but had numerous budgetary problems.[1] It featured 6 teams:

* California Eagles
* Khalsa Warriors
* Milwaukee Wolves
* Punjab Tigers
* Royal Kings USA
* United Singhs

California Eagles beat Royal Kings USA to win the final.[9] The 2017 season was indefinitely postponed.[10]

### Third season: 2018

[edit]

After a reorganization, the league rebranded itself as the Global Kabaddi League and launched the new version in 2018.[1][11] The only team to return for the third season was the California Eagles.[1] The teams in this season were:

* Black Panthers
* Delhi Tigers
* California Eagles
* Haryana Lions
* Maple Leaf Canada
* Singh Warriors Punjab

This version of the league lasted until the final match on November 3, 2018.[12] California Eagles defeated Haryana Lions to win the season.[13] The games were broadcast by PTC Punjabi's channels.[11]

## Playing technique

[edit]

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.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 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.
2. ^ "Results - The official website of World Kabaddi League". 2015-05-02. Archived from the original on 2015-05-02. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
3. ^ "Akshay Kumar lends glamour to kabaddi buys a team". India Today. Living Media.
4. ^ "Rapper Honey Singh buys team in World Kabbadi League". The Times of India. The Times Group.
5. ^ "Sonakshi Sinha co-owns team in World Kabaddi League". The Indian Express. Indian Express Limited.
6. ^ VENUE LIST (World Kabaddi League)[usurped]
7. ^ "Take A Deep Breath World Kabaddi League Comes To London". The Londonist.
8. ^ "World Kabaddi league launched". Business Standard. Business Standard.
9. ^ "World Kabaddi League". 2017-05-27. Archived from the original on 2017-05-27. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
10. ^ "World Kabaddi League". 2017-11-21. Archived from the original on 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
11. ^ a b Shafi, Faisal (19 October 2018). "Global Kabaddi League 2018 Launches in India". DESIblitz. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
12. ^ "Global Kabaddi League: California Eagles will face Haryana Lions in the finals". 5 Dariya News. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
13. ^ "Global Kabaddi League". 2019-10-19. Archived from the original on 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2025-02-22.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (2014 season) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-05-09)
* Official website (2016 and 2017 season) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2017-12-19)
* Official website (2018 season) at the Wayback Machine (archived 2019-09-21)

* v
* t
* e

Kabaddi

Glossary * Variations (circle style * slap)

Governing bodies|

* International Kabaddi Federation (IKF; 2004–present)
* Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF)
* World Kabaddi (2018–present)

International tournaments|

| World|

* World Cup (IKF)
* Junior World Cup (IKF)
* Beach World Championship (IKF)
* World Cup (World Kabaddi)
* World Cup (circle style)

|

Asia|

* Asian Championship (AKF)
* Asia Cup (circle style)

Single-nation hosted|

* Dubai Kabaddi Masters (UAE)
* Bangabandhu Cup (Bangladesh)

Multi-sport events|

| Asia|

* Asian Games
* Asian Beach Games
* Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

| South|

* South Asian Games
* South Asian Beach Games

|

SEA|

* SEA Games

India|

* National Games

Professional tournaments|

| Britain|

* British Kabaddi League

|

India|

* Pro Kabaddi League
* Women's Kabaddi League
* Women's Kabaddi Challenge (defunct)

Nepal|

* Nepal Kabaddi League

Pakistan|

* Super Kabaddi League

Worldwide|

* World Kabaddi League (defunct)

National teams
(affiliated to IKF)|

| Men's|

* Bangladesh
* England
* India
* Iran
* Japan
* Malaysia
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Poland
* Scotland
* South Korea
* Sri Lanka
* Thailand
* United States
* Others

|

Women's|

* Azerbaijan
* Bangladesh
* India
* Iran
* Nepal
* South Korea
* Thailand
* Others

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