We had 16 buyers for 8 kabaddi teams: WKL Commissioner Pargat

Kabaddi may not compare to cricket in the glamour quotient but when it came to finding buyers for the eight franchises of the recently-launched World Kabaddi League, the organisers had 16 bidders to choose from, says the event's commissioner and former hockey player Pargat Singh.
The Wave World Kabaddi League, spread across three continents, is the first such event of its kind and was launched with much fanfare and Bollywood glitter over the last weekend.
Speaking to PTI about its potential and financial viability, Pargat claimed that the tournament has what it takes to grow successfully in the years to come.

"We didn't have any problem finding buyers for the franchises. When we first made the announcement, 16 buyers were ready and we had a lot of choice. And some very high profile people like Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha have come on board, that says a lot about the potential of this league," said Pargat, an active politician with Punjab's ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal, which has given the event its support.
The former defender, who was chosen to be the league's commissioner due to his experience as Director (Sports) in Punjab, claimed that WKL was launched keeping in mind Kabaddi's immense popularity in his state but the event will spread its wings in other parts of the country as well.

The IPL-style WKL will be played out in eight international and six Indian cities with its final on December 14.

"Kabaddi is a big sport in Punjab, especially rural Punjab. We are trying to tap into that popularity. The players will earn well through this league and youngsters would be tempted to take up a sport which is indigenous to our country," said Pargat referring to Rs 1.5 crore pay cheque that each of the participating player is getting in the event.
Asked about the financial viability of the event, Pargat claimed that franchise owners will break even after the first two seasons - a massive assessment given that even in the IPL, franchises took more than that to start counting their profits.

"It will take them two seasons to break even. Idea is not just to make money but bringing about a structural change in how kabaddi is run in India. Such an event will help make structural changes to the sport's administration," he explained.