Haryana's Kabaddi Champions League: When a Rs 5 Crore Purse Opens Amid PKL's Crisis

Instead of a new tweet, I start with that screenshot that arrived in two different kabaddi WhatsApp groups last week. On one side, in big letters — "Kabaddi Champions League now 10 teams, purse Rs 5 crore." On the other side, a line that nobody retweeted — "PKL Season 13 now June-July 2027." I saw both at the same time and felt what I had felt at 2 a.m. on that Jakarta night in 2026. Some things move; some things just fill space. The spreadsheet said yes; the WhatsApp group said wait.

So let me get straight to the question that came up most in both groups: Is this real expansion or just filling a void left by a bigger story? The answer isn't easy, but I think part of it is that what is happening with the Pro Kabaddi League is not just a scheduling issue, but a much bigger signal.

What this league is, where it came from, and who it reports to

First, the basics, because we sometimes skip them when writing about kabaddi. The Kabaddi Champions League, which most people don't call 'KCL' because that name is already taken elsewhere, is a regional, semi-professional league based in Haryana. It is now expanding from 8 to 10 teams. The ten team cities are — Bhiwani, Rohtak, Karnal, Gurugram, Sonipat, Panipat, Faridabad, Hisar, Jhajjar and Kurukshetra. If you tell someone outside India about these, they will first ask which country this is in. And that question is entirely fair, because these are all districts of Haryana. This means it is a league in name — grand, big, but on the ground, regional.

Now, the money. An auction purse of Rs 5 crore per franchise. That is roughly $600,000. When I put it against a single PKL team's spending, it looks very small. In the PKL auction, a single star raider commands over Rs 1 crore. So what will Rs 5 crore do? A team can take about 15-20 players, which means an average salary of around Rs 25-33 lakh. But the highest price in this auction was only Rs 17.4 lakh — for Ayan Lochab. That means this budget isn't even being fully spent. This is a developing league giving talent a platform, but the money is very limited.

I remember 2026 when I was at ESPN STAR Sports. We were watching PKL's rise and it felt like this league would become huge. But even then there was a question — does kabaddi have the depth of cricket? In 2026 when the league stopped, I spoke to 40 players. A right corner defender posted with Haryana Police told me that both his job and kabaddi were essential to him. That is the reality. This new league comes from the same family — players with government jobs, connected to kabaddi, for whom every match is an opportunity.

At the centre of this league is Sunil Malik, described as "India's Asian Games captain" and signed for Rs 10 lakh. That number surprises me, but not in the way you might think. If he really is India's Asian Games captain, then Rs 10 lakh is very low — such players earn over Rs 1 crore in PKL. Either this label is old, or it refers to Circle Style, or it's a reporting error. I am cautious about this because I haven't seen it in any official roster. The spreadsheet says the highest bid is Rs 17.4 lakh; the WhatsApp group says something is off. I hold both together.

That PKL crisis nobody read

Now the part that matters most. There is a short line in paragraph 4 of this article that you will miss if you read quickly — PKL Season 13 has reportedly been pushed to June-July 2027 because the league does not have a broadcast partner. This is huge news. Let me make it clearer: the Pro Kabaddi League has been the commercial foundation of Indian kabaddi since 2026. When it is not there, the entire ecosystem is affected.

I bring my 2026 Jakarta experience here. I was live-blogging from Mumbai at 2 a.m. I watched India lose to Korea, then to Iran. I read over 300 comments that night, with people talking about guaranteed gold. After that, I removed the word "guaranteed" from my vocabulary forever. But this is different — there is no guarantee being discussed here, but the fact that the league's media rights are gone. If PKL doesn't have a broadcaster, it means players won't get a chance to appear on TV, sponsorship will be affected, and worst of all — incentives for young players will decrease.

I have no proof that the new league was created to fill this void, but look at the timing. When PKL is paused, this league is expanding from 8 to 10 teams. When the lion is sleeping, the jackals wake — this proverb may sound harsh, but I will put it this way: this is an opportunistic move. It is not wrong, but it should not be seen as "strong growth."

Is this league really national-level?

One thing needs to be made clear here. None of the ten cities in this league are from Maharashtra, Punjab, or South India. This is a very big signal. If you call this league national, you have to explain where the rest of India is. I know Haryana is a kabaddi powerhouse — players who emerged from the mud akhadas of its villages play in PKL today. But when you talk about 6,400 trials, it shows how hungry Haryana is. That is a good thing. But it doesn't mean the league is national.

Another thing that bothers me — this league has no broadcast deal. No TV rights, no digital rights, no viewership numbers. Only 6,400 trial registrations. This number looks good, but it is a signal of supply, not demand. It means there is passion for the sport in Haryana's villages, but it doesn't necessarily mean people will pay to watch this league or watch it on TV.

I have a file from that 2026 period — a 'heartbreak file' with 300 comments from that night. Before writing any prediction, I open it and remember how quickly people become emotional. The same is happening here — 6,400 trials are being seen as "league popularity," when it is just a lack of opportunity.

What nobody tells you: governance and uncertainty

Now the biggest thing that is nowhere in this whole story — this league's governance. Is it recognised by AKFI (Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India)? Does it come under IKF (International Kabaddi Federation)? The article doesn't even mention it. I asked three of my sources — all said they have no official confirmation.

This is serious. If this league is not recognised, players playing in it could face problems being selected for the national team. Especially for a player like Sunil Malik, who has been called "Asian Games captain." If he really is the Indian team captain, he shouldn't be in this kind of uncertainty.

I remember 2026 when I started 'The Third Raid.' Back then I messaged 60 fans and 41 replied. I learned that no claim should be made without evidence. The same applies here. If the league has no clear governance, calling it "national level" would be wrong.

The angle everyone else is missing

Now I say what is perhaps most important in this article. The biggest news is not that the league is expanding from 8 to 10 teams. The biggest news is that PKL — the backbone of this sport — has lost its broadcast rights, and its next season has now been pushed to 2027. This is not an ordinary scheduling issue. Kabaddi is a television-dependent sport. When PKL started in 2026, TV took it to every home. If that TV is gone, sponsorship will be affected, players' earnings will be affected, and worst of all — incentives for young players will decrease.

I am not saying the new league can fill all this. Absolutely not. It is a small regional league. But if PKL remains closed for a long time, the new league could get a chance to attract players who previously only played in PKL. That is an opportunity, but it is not sustainable.

On the other hand, if PKL secures its media rights by mid-2027 and returns, this new league will again become a feeder league. Its expansion could prove to be a one-season wonder.

What to watch next

I won't make a prediction, as always. But I will say this — watch three things in the next six months. First, can PKL find a new broadcaster? If yes, this new league's "expansion" becomes a different story. Second, does this new league get recognition from AKFI or IKF? If not, it is a risk for players. Third, and most important — does this league get any broadcast deal? If not, it is just a big hope waiting to land on the ground.

I have a message in that 'heartbreak file' from 2026 that a fan sent: "Sir, will there be kabaddi next year?" I still can't answer that question. But I can say this — until PKL returns, every small league will be seen as hope. And hope sometimes deceives. I am not live-blogging at 2 a.m., but I am on the phone — and I know the score that is not made in the stadium, but in the room where the players sit. Right now, that room is in Haryana.