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Question 168 of 325 · Sports
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The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) was started in India in:

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Answer: Option D — 2014

Detailed Solution

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is a professional franchise-based kabaddi league in India. Its first season was held in July-August 2014.

How the league began:

  • It was started by Mashal Sports, a company founded by sports commentator Charu Sharma, with the backing of industrialist Anand Mahindra.
  • It was sanctioned by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and the International Kabaddi Federation.
  • Star Sports became a major partner and broadcaster, and it later took a controlling stake in Mashal Sports.
  • The league adapted traditional kabaddi for television, with short matches, a mat surface, bright lights and rules such as the 30-second raid and the "do-or-die raid".

Key facts:

  • The first season had 8 teams; the league expanded to 12 teams from season 5 (2017).
  • Jaipur Pink Panthers, co-owned by actor Abhishek Bachchan, won the first title in 2014, defeating U Mumba in the final.
  • Patna Pirates have won the title three times (2016 January, 2016 June and 2017).
  • Pardeep Narwal of Patna Pirates and other teams is the league's most successful raider, nicknamed "Dubki King".
  • Haryana Steelers won season 11 in 2024.
  • The PKL's success made kabaddi the second most watched sport in India after cricket, according to many surveys, and attracted foreign players, especially from Iran, South Korea and Bangladesh.

Other franchise leagues in India:

  • Indian Premier League (cricket): 2008.
  • Hockey India League: 2013.
  • Indian Super League (football): 2014.
  • Premier Badminton League: 2013 (as the Indian Badminton League).
  • Ultimate Kho Kho: 2022.
  • Women's Premier League (cricket): 2023.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗2008 is when the IPL began.
  • ✗2012 is when kabaddi's popularity was growing, but the PKL had not yet started.
  • ✗2016 is when two PKL seasons were held in the same year.

Quick tip

Remember: Pro Kabaddi League = started 2014 (Mashal Sports, Charu Sharma and Anand Mahindra); first champions Jaipur Pink Panthers; Patna Pirates = three titles; Pardeep Narwal = "Dubki King".

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Sports — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Sports, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers sports GK: major tournaments and their venues, trophies and cups associated with each sport, sports terms, the number of players in a team, sports awards in India, Olympic and Asian Games facts, and famous sportspersons and their achievements. Common questions ask which sport a trophy belongs to (such as the Durand Cup for football or the Ranji Trophy for cricket), which term is used in which sport, and where a tournament was held. Records and results change after every season, so pair static facts such as team sizes and terms with recent results from current affairs. Practise the sports questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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