Telugu Titans take on Bengaluru Bulls in PKL opener

Season 11 of Pro Kabaddi League kick starts at GMCB Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Friday.

Hyderabad: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) returns to action on Friday, with Telugu Titans taking on Bengaluru Bulls in the opening match of Season 11 at GMCB Indoor Stadium in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.

Ahead of the season, a grand launch event took place at Hyatt Place, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad on Thursday. The event was graced by PKL League Commissioner & Head of Sports Leagues at Mashal Sports, Anupam Goswami, along with team captains Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans) and Pardeep Narwal (Bengaluru Bulls). Captains of the remaining 10 teams were also present as they kicked off the PKL season.

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Telugu Titans’ captain Pawan Sehrawat shared his excitement for the opening match by saying, “I am very happy that we, Telugu Titans, will play the opening game of the season at Hyderabad in front of our home fans. The fans have always supported us a lot, and we are sure there will be more of the same when we walk onto the mat. The team is in a good place and we are confident of doing well.”

Bengaluru Bulls’ captain Pardeep Narwal was ready for the challenge that lies ahead as he returns to the team that gave him his PKL debut. Ahead of the opening match, he said, “Season 11 of the PKL will be huge and we are very excited to come into the tournament and we have prepared well throughout the pre-season for this. Our team is very well balanced and the Bulls are keen to start off with a bang.”

Preparations for PKL 11 began on a historic note as eight players were sold for over Rs 1 crore in the auction held in Mumbai. After Pawan and Pardeep take to the mat on Friday, the second match of the night will see U Mumba’s Sunil Kumar – the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history after being bought for Rs 1.015 crores – take on the attacking prowess of Naveen Kumar, who is among the star raiders for Dabang Delhi K.C.

This time around, PKL will be returning to a three-city format, with the 2024 edition commencing at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad from October 18 to November 9. It will then move to the Noida Indoor Stadium for the second leg starting on November 10 till December 1. The third leg will begin at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from December 3 to December 24.