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The eighth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is likely to be held in Bengaluru this year. The organizers have shortlisted two cities for the extravagant league but are yet to take the final call on the venue.
Sportskeeda has learnt that Bengaluru is the front runner, while Ahmedabad is the backup option in case the COVID-19 situation worsens in Karnataka.
“They are planning to host the league in Kantaveerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru and have started preparations for the same. However, they have also kept Ahmedabad as an option just in case the situation worsens in Bengaluru,” an official from one the teams told Sportskeeda.
Mashal Sports, the owners of PKL property, will follow the Indian Super League (ISL) format and will host the entire three-months of the competition in one city.
This year, the preparations such as booking of hotels and creating of bio-bubble will be taken care by Mashal Sports.
The 12 Pro Kabaddi teams will stay in one hotel in a bio-bubble with strict pandemic protocols. However, the franchises feel that while this will minimize the risk of COVID-19, it will also pose different kind of challenges for the team.
“The biggest challenge will be to accommodate training sessions for the 12 teams. Besides this, we will also have to find ways to isolate our players from other teams so that there is no passing of information and tactics. We have started discussions to overcome all of these things,” an official from another PKL team said.
The training camp for PKL is likely to begin by end of October or first week of November. The franchises are waiting for a final confirmation on the venue before they ask their players to assemble.
“We have been in touch with all our players and they are doing fine. They look fit but are they match-fit is the biggest question. We are just waiting for the confirmation on the venue and then will start preparing for the training camp,” the official added.
After a three-day player auction saw some high-profile players swapping teams, the wait continues for the official announcement of the PKL 8 season, which is scheduled to take place in December this year.
