Pro Kabaddi 2026: Why PKL 13 Is Delayed Until 2027

Players and staff in the dugout during a Pro Kabaddi League match

There will be no Pro Kabaddi League season in 2026. According to a Khel Now exclusive published on 1 November, PKL Season 13 is now likely to be held in a June-July 2027 window. The reason is money: the league still has no broadcast partner for the next cycle. Here is what has been reported, why the TV deal matters so much, and where Indian kabaddi stands in a year when the national teams have been winning almost everything.

Table of Contents

Pro Kabaddi 2026: the key points

Season 13 in 2026: not happening, per Khel Now
Likely window: June to July 2027 (not officially announced)
Cause: the media rights deal with Star India, now JioStar, ended after Season 12
Last champions: Dabang Delhi KC, who won Season 12 in October 2025
Official word: the league organisers had not announced a Season 13 schedule at the time of writing

The report has been picked up by Outlook India and The Kabaddi Pulse, but it is based on unnamed sources rather than an official statement. Treat the 2027 window as likely rather than final until the league confirms it.

Why PKL 13 is delayed

PKL is run by Mashal Sports, in which Star India holds a 74% stake, Khel Now notes. Star also broadcast the league. Its last media rights deal, worth about ₹905 crore, covered Seasons 8 to 12. When that cycle was put up for sale in 2021, the base price was about ₹900 crore and Star was the only bidder.

That deal ran out with Season 12. Khel Now’s sources say the current broadcaster has offered roughly half of the previous amount for the next cycle. Team owners, who depend on central revenue from the rights deal, are unhappy and have approached the Sports Ministry, the report adds. In an earlier report, Khel Now said the PKL media rights were set to go under the hammer after the JioStar deal expired.

Without a broadcaster, the league cannot plan a player auction, book venues or sign sponsors. That is why the gap between seasons is now likely to stretch beyond a year and a half.

How long has PKL been off air?

Season 12 started on 29 August 2025, after a player auction on 31 May and 1 June. It ended on 31 October 2025, when Dabang Delhi KC beat Puneri Paltan 31-28 in the final at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi. It was Delhi’s second PKL title. If Season 13 starts in June 2027, fans will have waited around 20 months between seasons, the longest break since the Covid-era gap between Seasons 7 and 8.

Why the TV deal is so important for kabaddi

Pro Kabaddi was founded by Anand Mahindra and broadcaster Charu Sharma, and the first season was played in 2014. Its TV numbers surprised everyone. According to Star’s own figures, Season 1 reached 435 million viewers. That was second only to the 552 million that watched IPL 2014 in India that year.

The league turned kabaddi from a village sport into a prime-time product with city franchises, auction stars and fitness standards that fed straight into the national team. For many players, the league is also their main shot at a big contract, so a long pause hurts more than just the fans.

India’s kabaddi teams are on a winning run

The delay is especially awkward because Indian kabaddi has had a very good 2026 on the field:

Asian Games gold: both the men’s and women’s teams won gold at Aichi-Nagoya in September, beating Iran in the finals. Our coverage of India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign explains why kabaddi was among the title defences that mattered most.
Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship: at the inaugural edition in Ahmedabad, India won both titles on 31 October. The women beat Uganda 35-15 and the men beat Sri Lanka 54-20, Akashvani News reported. Both teams finished the tournament unbeaten.

Many of the players in those squads are PKL regulars. For them, a league-free year means fewer competitive matches at the top level and less income, at a time when interest in the sport should be rising. You can see how kabaddi fitted into the overall standings in our Asian Games 2026 medal count tracker.

What happens next

A few things to watch over the coming months:

A media rights sale or deal: nothing can be scheduled until a broadcaster or streaming partner signs on.
The Sports Ministry’s role: it is unclear whether the ministry will step in. Any intervention would be unusual for a privately run league.
The player auction: the Season 12 auction was held about three months before the season started. If Season 13 starts in June 2027, expect an auction in early 2027.
The calendar: a June-July window would put PKL after the IPL, which runs from March to May.

Until then, the sporting calendar for Indian fans is dominated by cricket. India’s ODI series in New Zealand starts on 4 November and is followed by the two-Test series from 19 November.

Frequently asked questions

Will Pro Kabaddi Season 13 be held in 2026?

No, according to Khel Now’s 1 November report. The league has not issued an official schedule, and the season is now likely to be held in June-July 2027.

Why has PKL 13 been delayed?

The league’s media rights deal with Star India (now JioStar), worth about ₹905 crore for Seasons 8 to 12, ended after Season 12. A new deal has not been agreed.