Mumbai, Aug 22 The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) on Friday announced significant format changes for Season 12, introducing an enhanced league stage and revamped Playoff structure designed to intensify competition and provide fans with more thrilling kabaddi action. The upcoming season – commencing on August 29 – will travel to Vizag, Jaipur, Chennai, and Delhi, bringing the PKL experience closer to fans deeper in India.
The upcoming season will feature an exciting league stage with 108 matches, where each team will play 18 matches. This format elevates the competition by ensuring teams face rigorous tests throughout the league stage, while maintaining high-intensity kabaddi action for fans. It will also provide every franchise with substantial opportunities to demonstrate its capabilities.
PKL Season 12 introduces a comprehensive tie-breaker rule system, including the Golden Raid format, to all league-stage matches. Previously limited only to Playoff matches, this system now ensures decisive outcomes throughout the tournament.
In case of ties, teams will engage in a structured 5-raid shootout with special rules. Both teams field seven players with the baulk line treated as baulk-line-cum-bonus-line. Each team nominates five different raiders who raid alternately. Out and revival rules don't apply – only points scored count. If still tied after 5 raids, the Golden Raid rule applies.
The Golden Raid format adds drama to crucial moments, where a fresh toss determines which team gets the decisive raiding opportunity. If both teams remain tied after golden raids, the winner is decided by a coin toss.
This new rule maintains PKL’s competitive spirit while eliminating tied results, guaranteeing decisive outcomes and heightened drama in every match.
As part of efforts to enhance clarity and accessibility for fans, the Pro Kabaddi League has simplified its points system for the upcoming season. Teams will now be awarded two points for a win and zero points for a loss. The revised format makes the standings more straightforward to follow, reinforcing the league's commitment to providing a clear and engaging experience for its fans.
This season will see the introduction of Play-ins alongside a revamped Playoffs structure. For the first time, the top 8 teams from the league stage will have the chance to qualify for the Playoffs, opening up opportunities for more franchises to compete for the trophy. At the same time, the Play-ins ensure that every league-stage position carries greater weight, making each match more crucial than ever.
Under the new structure, teams finishing 5th to 8th will battle in Play-in matches, with the winners progressing to the Eliminators.
Teams finishing 3rd and 4th will face off in a Mini-Qualifier. The winner moves ahead, while the loser still gets another chance later in the Playoffs.
The top two league-stage teams (1st and 2nd) will meet in Qualifier 1, with the winner going directly to the Final. The losing team will have another shot at the Final via Qualifier 2. The Playoffs journey will now flow through three Eliminators and two Qualifiers, ensuring a thrilling build-up to the Final showdown.
This new structure increases the intensity of the competition, keeps more fan bases engaged for longer, and raises the stakes in every match on the road to the championship.
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