Mashal Sports and the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) hosted the Indian Defence Services players’ allocation and selection process for Season 4. The league, in its fourth season organized the Services Players’ draft process, in alignment with the Services Sports Controlled Board (SSCB) and the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), which received a strong positive response from participating franchises. The allocation of players was executed by an Open Draw Process whereby a designated representative from each of the eight teams participated in the draw of lots. A total of 15 players were picked across these eight teams from a pool of 24 players.
Janardan Singh Gehlot, President of the International Kabaddi Federation proudly said, “The presence of Indian Defence Services top players has changed the game in the last season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. It is noteworthy on SSCB’s part to make available an even larger pool of their best players this season. This is a great achievement for Pro Kabaddi and will make Pro Kabaddi Season IV even more competitive compared to earlier Season.’”
A Mashal Sports spokesperson added, “Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has been a phenomenal success and we are thrilled to see its ever-growing popularity. Our aim is to grow this momentum of excitement. The players from the services are not only talented but have added immense value to the excitement of this league with four of the twelve players being recognized among the top raiders and defenders of Season 3. We are hopeful to see some stellar performances in the season going forward.”
Rohit Kumar, Nitin Tomar, Surjeet and Surjeet Singh who ranked amongst the top raiders and defenders of Season 3 have now been picked by Bengaluru Bulls, Puneri Paltan, UMumba and Patna Pirates respectively. With their numerous successful tackles and raids, these players were a major catalyst to their teams’ success in Season 3.
The League, which has given the sport of Kabaddi a distinctive and contemporary identity, is promoted by Mashal Sports and Star India with the backing of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and International Kabaddi Federation. It will feature a total of 149 players across 8 teams.
Pune will host the opening leg, with home team Puneri Paltan taking on Telugu Titans. The stage is set; the action begins in Pune on June 25, 2016.
List of services players picked up by the teams:
