Stage set for PKL Season 10 Playoffs beginning on Monday

HYDERABAD: After traversing the entire country for the last 12 weeks uninterruptedly like a thoroughbred politician on a last-minute campaign trail desperately trying to woo the voters, characterised by constant flight-hopping and whistle-stop tours, and breaking gallons of sweat along the way in the hope of making a glorious triumph their new dwelling, the landmark 10th season of Pro Kabaddi League has reached what promises to be a cracker of a climax, beginning on Monday.

The opulent setting in the city that saw the participation of the six captains whose teams had made it to the Playoffs may have deprived them of flaunting their athletic prowess that you readily associate them with on the mat, but listening to them speak their mind did provide a valuable insight into what one can expect when the action takes centre stage once again following a hiatus of four days, the longest since the league commenced on December 2.

There was the customary pulling-of-the-leg act but for a change their muscular upper limbs decorously and ingeniously made way for wisecracks, an instantly admirable facet of their persona that was hitherto unknown to many and one that elicited gales of laughter from the gathering.

Speaking about the Season 10 so far, Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League said, “PKL Season 10 has been very special because we have returned to the kabaddi catchments of each of our 12 franchise’s homes after 4 years, even as the broadcast and OTT consumption of our league-stage matches has grown so impressively. Now we are confident that the PKL Season 10 Playoffs and finale will set new thresholds for quality of competition as well as spectator and viewer engagement.”

Reflecting on his team’s recent string of victories heading into the Playoffs, and the impact it will have on a young side, Aslam Inamdar, captain of Puneri Paltan, said, “We’ve come into the Playoffs with a lot of confidence. After having topped the league, the only way to end this campaign is giving the fans the PKL trophy. We gave our 100 per cent in the league stage and we hope to continue to do so in the Playoffs as well.”

Meanwhile, the Jaipur Pink Panthers’ captain Sunil Kumar was quietly optimistic that his team will defend its title, “Any team in the semi-final will present us with a tough opportunity to reach the final. But at the same time, we will not back down. We will also give everything we have to defend our title and win our third trophy.”

In the eyes of many astute observers, this season’s final will be a repeat of the previous edition’s edge-of-the-seat humdinger between Jaipur and Pune that culminated in the former lifting its second title. Aslam who missed that crunch clash owing to an injury will be determined to lead his team to the promised land at the second time of asking if indeed these two sides book the final date.