PKL 5 will be interesting but it may lose its competitiveness due to injuries: Telugu Titans coach Jagmohan
TELUGU TITANS coach Jagmohan believes that the advent of Pro Kabaddi League has changed lives of players as well as coaches. Comparing the league with cricket ODI format, Jagmohan, who was the Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach, stated that the commercial angle of the league has boosted the game. In an exclusive interview with Shiva Krishna Gundra, Jagmohan explained how PKL has played a role in reviving the game.
“The Pro Kabaddi League has brought huge changes in the lives of players as well as the coaches. It is like the ODI format of the cricket. The commercial angle has boosted the game a lot. But it was Kabaddi Premier League (KPL) that was the first of such leagues. It was conducted in Vijayawada and it was an instant hit. It got good response from every corner. So the Federation and others (Charu Sharma) thought of PKL. They have deliberated on the league for over four years and the resulted in good league.”
The Telugu Titans coach feels that with rising popularity of the sport, the players are also making more money.
“When the league KPL started, each player used to get 40,000 each irrespective of the players’ stature. But PKL is on a much bigger platform with auctions. The financial aspects have grown in manifold.”
The fifth edition of the PKL is set to kick-off on July 28. The season will see a total of 130 matches being played across 13 weeks. When asked about the addition of new teams and the extended format, Jagmohan said,
“The league will be good. I’m not sure how successful it will be as it is a three-month long tournament. I think it will be interesting in the initial stage and will lose some craze in the middle. But the final phase will be exciting again. This being the long tournament, players require high level of fitness. It will be difficult for a player to play for three months without injuries. So the league might lose competitiveness. There will be pressure on the players. This time, each team can have a minimum of 18 players. That will help the management to rotate the players.”
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