When coronavirus is the opponent, social distancing is the only safe raid.” Beneath this tongue-in-cheek pop-up message on the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) official website, perhaps, lies the answer for those wondering about the tournament’s fate this season.
PKL, the most popular franchise-based league in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL), is facing uncertainty amid the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is no clarity on the players’ auction post which players assemble for training camps organised by their respective franchises. The testing times have forced the organisers – Mashal Sports Pvt Ltd and Stat India Pvt Ltd – to adopt a wait-and-watch approach before taking a call on the season.
There were speculations that the league would shift to Sri Lanka this year which the organisers rubbished in an official statement recently.
“We have not discussed with the Sri Lankan Kabaddi Federation to hold the season in Sri Lanka. The health and safety of our players and other participants are of paramount importance. We will continue to review the situation and come to a decision after consulting the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and the franchises,” the statement said.
It is learnt that in the last couple of months, the organisers have had multiple meetings with the all the stakeholders to find the best possible way to conduct the tournament. “To avoid the risk of travelling to different cities, there was a plan to hold the league in just one venue. The plan was to reduce the 130-day league to 90 days and hold it in front of minimal or no spectators,” said a source.
The source added the idea has now seemed to have fallen flat with growing talks of the BCCI zeroing in on the September-November window for IPL as both leagues have the same broadcaster. “The rising cases means the foreign players are apprehensive to participate,” the source added.
The biggest problem for the organisers is the nature of the sport as Kabaddi cannot avoid physical contact. Charu Sharma, the PKL co-founder, said: “In my personal opinion, we can create biospheres and take as much care as possible. But you are dealing with a particularly large number of people. It’s not easy to sanitise the venue completely for a long period of time,” Charu told DH.
The PKL functions in a caravan format, with teams travelling from one city to another during the course of the league. Charu explained the complications involved in this process. “Sports like kabaddi are slated in multi-sport venues. In the current situation, many of these venues might not be available as they are being turned into centres to treat the Covid-19 patients. To get these venues at a complex set of schedules isn’t easy,” he said.
In case the league is cancelled, the PKL could lose the annual sponsorship deal of Rs 60 crore, from its title sponsor Vivo.