Pro Kabaddi League to give 2026 season a miss

For the first time since its inaugural edition in 2014, there will be no Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season held in a calendar year outside of the 2020 pandemic period. This development follows the 12 teams' inability to negotiate a new media rights deal in time as the broadcaster, JioStar, reportedly sought to reduce the fee by 50% from the ₹905 crore agreement that expired after the 2025 season.

HT has learnt that the owners have been discussing a new deal with JioStar and league owners Mashal Sports — which the broadcaster also owns — since May.

According to Srinivas Sreeramaneni, owner of the Hyderabad-based franchise Telugu Titans, negotiations have reached the final stages.

“It is similar to the original deal in terms of having a revenue share and JioStar putting in a minimum guarantee,” Srinivas told this publication.

“It is a win-win situation for the owners and broadcasters. The formulas have been agreed on, but the numbers are still being worked out.”

The cancellation of the 2026 PKL season occurs in a year that has seen turbulence across franchise-based sporting leagues in the country. The year began with uncertainty over the fate of the Indian Super League (ISL), which was resolved only a few months ago. There is also uncertainty over the Hockey India League, which was revived in 2024, being able to organise a third season in its second spell.

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Srinivas however, asserted that the talks have been constructive with owners taking the time to reflect and understand “what worked and what didn’t work” while chalking out a new plan.

“We figured that our most successful seasons were the ones that were held across 45 days,” he said, referring to the first four seasons of the sport’s marquee competition. “Our viewership peaked at the time, and I’ve been pushing for (returning) to the 45-day format.”

Since the fifth season, in 2017, the competition had expanded to 12 teams from the original eight franchises, and the duration of each season had been extended to three months.

“(There were more) injuries to players in the longer format and their availability became a question because they have to go back to their parent companies like the Railways or Services. They were staying away from their jobs for 90 days, and then there were additional training camps,” Shrinivas added.

The PKL has been one of the most watched franchise-based competitions in the country, trailing only the Indian Premier League (IPL). Its inception brought a sport associated more with the hinterland into a glitzy modern setting. The league introduced innovations to the rulebook – such as the 30 second raid and do-or-die raid – to make the game faster and television friendly.

These changes have since been employed on the international stage as well, with the Asian Games also using the same yardstick.

The 2020 calendar year was the only time earlier when there was no PKL season. That however, was because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the next season, whenever it does take place, the Titans owner hinted that there is a possibility that PKL may go back to a shorter format with two-seasons per year, just as it happened in 2016 with the third and fourth seasons.

“It’s possible that we could have one season in the summer and one in the winter,” he said. “These were some of the things we’ve been looking at. In one venue, we used to play for four days and all the stadiums were full. But in the longer format, we’d play in one city for nine days and only the weekends were full. So, in the shorter format, there won’t be any audience fatigue.”

An agreement is expected to be reached soon, but the delay means there will not be an edition this year.

“There was a committee formed with Mashal Sports, the teams and broadcasters and they're going through the final details,” he added. “It's not good for the broadcasters to postpone too much, it's not good for the game either.”