The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is the premier league of kabaddi, the traditional Indian game: with a player auction, Iranian imports and tie-breakers instead of draws. It has twelve seasons behind it, and the thirteenth is awaited this winter. Here is how the league works, which teams play in it and what is known about the 2026 edition.
PKL 13: when the auction and the start of the 13th season take place
As of 21 October 2026, the league has officially announced neither the Pro Kabaddi League 2026 auction date nor the start of the 13th season. Unofficially, the following dates have been mentioned since August: the Pro Kabaddi League season 13 auction date between 18 and 25 October, and the start of the season in late December. The delay was linked to a crowded international calendar: the Asian Games in September and the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship in October. There is no official confirmation of these dates yet, so the guideline is this: the Pro Kabaddi League 2026 start date is likely towards the end of December.
The league’s leading players spent September with their national teams. At the 2026 Asian Games, raiders Arjun Deshwal and Devank Dalal helped India beat Iran in the final, 40-34, with league star Fazel Atrachali captaining Iran. More on the game itself can be found in the article on the rules of kabaddi.
Pro Kabaddi League was started in which year?
The league was created by Mashal Sports, founded by Anand Mahindra and Charu Sharma. It is now run by Mashal Sports and the media group JioStar. The first player auction took place on 20 May 2014, and the first season began that same year: eight teams, five weeks. According to the league itself, it became the second most-watched sporting event of the year in India.
Pro Kabaddi teams 2026: the full list
Since the fifth season in 2017, the league has had twelve teams: Gujarat Giants, Haryana Steelers, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddhas were added then. The league’s current line-up:
- Bengaluru Bulls, Bengal Warriors, Dabang Delhi, Gujarat Giants;
- Haryana Steelers, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan;
- Tamil Thalaivas, Telugu Titans, U Mumba, UP Yoddhas.
Pro Kabaddi League format: the season and the play-offs
The league changes its format often. The last, 12th season in 2025 looked like this: it began on 29 August, with matches played in rounds across four cities (Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Chennai, Delhi), 108 regular-season matches, 18 per team. A win is worth two points, a defeat none.
There were no draws at all in the 12th season. If normal time ended level, a series of five raids was played, and if it was level again, a ‘golden raid’ followed. If that did not settle it either, the winner was decided by lot. Previously the tie-break was used only in the play-offs.
Pro Kabaddi playoffs format
Eight teams reach the play-offs, and the higher the finishing position, the shorter the road to the final:
- the teams finishing 5th to 8th play the play-in matches, and the winners advance to the eliminators;
- the third and fourth-placed teams meet in the mini-qualifier: the winner goes through, the loser gets another chance;
- the first and second-placed teams play Qualifier 1, whose winner goes straight to the final;
- the loser of Qualifier 1 gets a second chance in Qualifier 2.
The result is a ladder of three eliminators and two qualifiers. A high regular-season finish is valuable: the leaders can afford one slip-up, while the teams in the lower half of the eight need a long unbeaten run.
The Pro Kabaddi auction 2026: how squads are built
Players are bought by the franchises at an auction. Before the 12th season it was held in Mumbai on 31 May and 1 June 2025. Over the two days, the clubs bought 121 players and spent a record 37.9 crore rupees. For scale: in the first season a team’s salary purse was 60 lakh, that is 0.6 crore, and the most expensive purchase cost 12.8 lakh.
The most expensive was the Iranian all-rounder Mohammadreza Shadloui: Gujarat paid 2.23 crore for him. Slightly less, 2.205 crore, was paid by Bengal Warriors for raider Devank Dalal. Players are divided into categories from A to D. The category D record was set by Aanil Mohan — 78 lakh from U Mumba.
An important tool is the FBM (Final Bid Match) card. If a club has released a player into the auction, it can bring him back by matching the opponent’s final bid. A contract under this scheme is signed for one or two seasons. In this way Dabang Delhi kept Ashu Malik for 1.9 crore.
Who won Pro Kabaddi League season 12
The final of the 12th season took place on 31 October 2025 in Delhi, at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium. Dabang Delhi beat Puneri Paltan 31-28 and became the first host since U Mumba in the second season to lift the trophy at home. In the final, Delhi’s top scorers were raiders Niraj Narwal (8 points) and Ajinkya Pawar (6). The season’s Most Valuable Player was named as the Iranian defender Fazel Atrachali. Delhi’s coach Joginder Narwal also won the league with this club as captain, in the eighth season.
The season was a tight one: 53 of 117 matches finished with a margin of no more than five points, and the league’s first-ever ‘golden raid’ came in the season’s 14th match, Dabang Delhi v Puneri Paltan. The best raider was Patna’s Ayan Lohchab with 316 raid points: he is the fifth player in the league’s history to score more than 300 in a season.
Pro Kabaddi League winners list
- Jaipur Pink Panthers (2014)
- U Mumba
- Patna Pirates
- Patna Pirates
- Patna Pirates
- Bengaluru Bulls
- Bengal Warriors
- Dabang Delhi
- Jaipur Pink Panthers
- Puneri Paltan
- Haryana Steelers
- Dabang Delhi (2025)
The number in the list matches the season number. Only three clubs have more than one title: Patna have three, all in a row, while Jaipur and Delhi have two each.
Pro Kabaddi League stats all time: stars and records
The league’s all-time leading scorer is raider Pradeep Narwal: 1,801 raid points in 190 matches. He is followed by Maninder Singh (1,568) and Arjun Deshwal (1,383). Narwal led Patna’s attack in all three of their title-winning seasons, and in the fifth he was named Most Valuable Player with 369 raid points.
The best defender is Fazel Atrachali. In October 2024 he became the first player in the league’s history to reach 500 tackle points, and in the 12th season he passed 550. With Delhi’s victory, the Iranian now has three titles: he had previously won the league with U Mumba in the second season and with Patna in the fourth. That is the best record among the league’s overseas players. Another 12th-season record belongs to Devank Dalal: he reached 500 raid points faster than anyone in the league’s history — in 43 matches.
Frequently asked questions about the Pro Kabaddi League
What is the Pro Kabaddi League?
A professional kabaddi league in India. It has been staged since 2014, with franchise teams building their squads at an auction.
Pro Kabaddi League how many teams?
Twelve — since the fifth season in 2017, when four new clubs were added to the eight founding ones.
When will the 13th Pro Kabaddi season begin?
As of 21 October 2026 there is no official date. The season is expected to start in late December, with the auction held earlier.
Who won Pro Kabaddi League season 12?
Dabang Delhi: on 31 October 2025, in the final in Delhi, the team beat Puneri Paltan 31-28.
Which club has won the league most often?
Patna Pirates — three in a row, from the third to the fifth season. Jaipur Pink Panthers and Dabang Delhi have two titles each.
