'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Pro Kabaddi League Season 5 began on July 28 and if the start is anything to go by, it promises to be a roller coaster ride in the coming three months. The first three days saw some scintillating action, with six matches being contested that left fans wanting more.
On the opening day, the Telugu Titans started their campaign with a fine victory against Ajay Thakur-led Tamil Thalaivas, while U Mumba were handed a sound defeat by the Puneri Paltan. On Day 2, it was the Patna Pirates that clinched victory against the Telugu Titans, the home side, and Dabang Delhi won their first-ever season opener against the Jaipur Pink Panthers, thanks to an inspired display by Meraj Sheykh.
Related: Pro Kabaddi 2017, season 5: List of all the team owners
On Day 3 ie July 30, viewers were treated to two fantastic matches as Anup Kumar inspired U Mumba to a win over the Haryana Steelers, in a match that ended with a one-point score margin. In the other game, Rohit Kumar led his Bengaluru Bulls side to a fine win over the Titans, leading by example with a fantastic Super 10.
On Monday though, the league took a break after three breathtaking days, giving the players and fans a day's rest. A similar pattern will be followed in other legs as well, such is the format of the competition.
The league phase of the PKL juggernaut will travel to 12 cities - Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Sonepat, Ranchi, Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur and Pune, with each leg lasting a total of seven days, except Pune. For the first 11 legs, the same pattern will follow - 11 matches over six days with two on five days and one on a single day. The remaining one day will be a rest day.
In Pune, a different pattern will be followed as there will be two rest days there, the first being the usual one and the other due to the festival of Diwali.
Here are the rest days over the course of the league phase: July 31 (Hyderabad), August 7 (Nagpur), August 14 (Ahmedabad), August 21 (Lucknow), August 28 (Mumbai), September 4 (Kolkata), September 11 (Haryana), September 18 (Ranchi), September 25 (Delhi), October 2 (Chennai), October 9 (Jaipur), October 16 & 19 (Pune)
