Key Points

The season kicks off on August 29 at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag, where Telugu Titans will host Tamil Thalaivas in what promises to be a season-defining opener.

Season 12 introduces a revolutionary Play-in structure and a revamped Playoffs, which expands qualification from six to eight teams, ensuring every match carries monumental significance. The new format also includes a tie-breaker rule system and a Golden Raid format, promising edge-of-the-seat action.

Manpreet Singh, head coach of defending champions Haryana Steelers, embraced the format changes while acknowledging the pressure of title defence, “The league is growing bigger, and kabaddi is getting bigger with these format changes. This format is very good because teams that fall behind still have chances to come back till the very end. We'll try our best to defend the trophy. The team is also good compared to last season, with one or two face changes, otherwise the whole team is the same.”

BC Ramesh, returning to Bengaluru Bulls after replacing Randhir Singh Sehrawat, acknowledged the immense expectations: "There's a lot of pressure on me. Bengaluru Bulls followers depend heavily on us. Everyone has the same hope that they had from previous teams –they think this team will also perform the same way. I have a big responsibility now to work as coach of Bengaluru Bulls. Last year's performance was very poor, so after that we changed the whole team and created a new team with a different strategy."

Anup Kumar, former player and now head coach of the Patna Pirates, reflected on the franchise's storied legacy while focusing on present challenges: "Legacy has been good for Patna Pirates, but legacy doesn't stay with one team forever, as far as I think. Players keep changing. When Patna won three consecutive seasons, the team was different, coaches were different. It was the same when they played the final twice. This season is a new season, players have changed, some are from last season, coach has changed. The effort is what all coaches want - that the start should be good, and the effort is to do what Patna Pirates couldn't achieve last season."

Naveen Kumar, head coach of Bengal Warriorz, outlined his team's ambitious youth-centric philosophy, “We decided to build a young team, and all these faces are new and young. Our strength is being a young team because they have more hunger to prove themselves. We picked the best raider from last season who is also very young. Along with him, we've picked most players under 25, and youth is our strength. This is our expectation – that they will have more desire to prove themselves.”

Ajay Thakur, leading Puneri Paltan, emphasized the defensive foundation required for championship success, “I'm working on fitness very well. I believe that whichever team makes fewer defensive mistakes wins, and the team with strong defence wins. I'm trying to ensure that my team's defence is good, that raiders support in defence. Defence wins matches. I believe that whichever team has strong defence, that team becomes the champion."

Meanwhile, opening the season away from home against the hosts doesn't faze Tamil Thalaivas, as Sanjeev Baliyan displayed quiet confidence ahead of their challenging start, “Every coach wants to win, and we want that too. Both teams are good – Telugu Titans is good but we are good too. We'll see who starts well, who wins. There's no pressure because there is no pressure. When playing on the mat, you don't even know what the public is saying. Pressure comes only from winning."

The coaches unanimously acknowledged that this season represents the most competitive kabaddi tournament in Pro Kabaddi League history. With powerhouse matchups looming and every franchise convinced they possess championship credentials, the expanded Playoff format ensures that until the final whistle of the league stage, every team remains in contention.

The transformation of kabaddi from its traditional roots into a high-octane battle requiring exceptional physical conditioning and tactical acumen will reach its peak in Season 12.

The league stage of PKL 12 will kick off with blockbuster clashes between Telugu Titans and Tamil Thalaivas, followed by Bengaluru Bulls and Puneri Paltan at the Vishwanadh Sports Club in Vizag on August 29.

- IANS