Telugu Titans to face Bengaluru Bulls in opening fixture; PKL announces season 11 schedule

New Delhi [India], September 10 (ANI): Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 will kick off on October 18 with a showdown between the Telugu Titans and Bengaluru Bulls in the opening match in Hyderabad.

The game will feature the home side Telugu Titans and their star raider Pawan Sehrawat against Pardeep Narwal, making his return for the Bengaluru Bulls.

The second match of the tournament will see U Mumba’s Sunil Kumar, the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history after being bought for Rs. 1.015 crore, 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 Gachibowli Indoor Stadium 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 Balewadi Badminton Stadium in Pune from December 3 to December 24.

However, the schedule and venue for the playoffs will be announced at a later date.

The Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 Auction was held in Mumbai from 15-16 August 2024, with eight players going for over Rs 1 crore, a new record in the league’s history, the release added.

Sachin, who was acquired by Tamil Thalaivas, emerged as the most expensive buy at the two-day event. He was acquired for Rs 2.15 crore.

A total of 118 players were sold to the 12 franchises during the PKL Season 11 Player auction, as per a PKL press release.

Ajith V Kumar became the most expensive player in Category C in this year’s player auction after he was acquired by Puneri Paltan for Rs 66 lakh, meanwhile, Jai Bhagwan was bought by Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 63 lakh.

Arjun Rathi emerged as the most expensive player in Category D after he was acquired by Bengal Warriorz for Rs 41 lakh.

Furthermore, Mohd. Amaan found a place in the Puneri Paltan team for Rs 16.2 lakh and Stuwart Singh was bought for Rs 14.2 lakh by U Mumba.