Pro Kabaddi has emerged as the second most watched sports event on its network, the organizers said, adding that the tournament received 288 million viewers for the first 15 days.
“When we began, we knew that the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League would be an amazing journey, but the warmth and support with which the tournament has been received across all the venues has been overwhelming,” said Charu Sharma, Managing Director, Mashal Sports.
Kabaddi, a rural sport, has been given the glamor treatment in the Kabaddi league.
“Kabaddi is set to become one of the biggest sports in India very soon. We are overwhelmed that sports fans across India have given a resounding endorsement to the faith that Star Sports has placed in the power of Kabaddi,” Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India said.
The last leg of the tournament, a first of its kind in India, will be held in Bangalore, the organisers said.
The Jaipur Pink Panthers being the only team to have qualified for the semis, the League table poses an exciting contest between U Mumba, Patna Pirates, Telugu Titans, Bengaluru Bulls and Dabang Delhi. Puneri Paltan and Bengal Warriers do not have sufficient points or games remaining to break through to the top 4 spots.
The League has also witnessed some the rise of the Kings of Raids and World-Class Defenders. Though as many as five raiders have crossed the 100-raid points mark, the contest for the crown remains a closely fought battle between Titans’ – star Rahul Chaudhari and the impressive U Mumba Captain, Anup Kumar, with 138 and 121 points respectively. With both teams having two league-stage matches still to go, the fiery fights will go down to the final few minutes of their last matches.
In the defenders corner, it is a far closer affair. With the top three- Jasmer Singh of Delhi, Surender Nada of Bengal and Jaipur Pink Panthers’ Rohit Rana separated by two points each and the rest catching up at a steady pace, making predictions will be a futile effort.