Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan crooning 'Le Panga' in his archetypal baritone is set to take Indian households by storm as the second season of the Pro Kabaddi League gets underway on 18 July.
After a successful first season that featured a lot of adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced and edge-of-the-seat action at the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) – Jaipur Pink Panthers took home the title – the 2015 edition of the IPL-style kabaddi tournament is slated to be even better than last year.
Watched by over 435 million viewers nationwide, the PKL became the second-most watched sport in the country, with the season-finale alone recording a viewship of 86.4 million.
This year, PKL is set to feature 60 games to be played across 37 days in eight cities.
The season opener, to be held at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) in Mumbai, will see last year's finalists U Mumba, owned by UTV Group founder Ronnie Screwvala, take on Abhishek Bachchan-owned Jaipur Pink Panthers.
The anticipation for the new season has been built by Star Sports already, as the official broadcaster of the tournament brought Big B on board to make him lend his voice to the catchphrase – 'Le Panga'.
The narrative has been transformed to a peppy, energetic and fast-paced song, which has been composed by him as well.
"The early years of one's life are the moments deeply ingrained in us. Kabaddi formed an integral part of our daily sport. When Star asked me for my participation in its promotion under Pro Kabaddi, I readily agreed for one simple reason – an opportunity to relive our younger exciting days. The composition of the song, its tune and its singing by me, has been an absolute delight. During its recording, helped by music director Aadesh Srivastava, I actually felt I was playing the game," said Bachchan.
PKL made headlines in May this year when Iranian kabaddi star Hadi Oshtorak fetched a record price in the international players' draft for PKL 2015. He was bought by Telugu Titans for a whopping Rs 21.1 lakh.
Star India will broadcast the second season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League in five languages – Hindi, Telegu, English, Kannada and Marathi – across eight channels.
The event will be hosted by RJ Mantra and actor Vrajesh Hirjee. "Last time, it was testing time. This time, it's already a successful format, hence there will be more expectations," said Mantra.
PKL 2015 Full Schedule of Matches:
Venue: NSCI, Mumbai
18 July: Match 1: U Mumba vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
18 July: Match 2: Bengaluru Bulls vs Bengal Warriors (9 PM IST)
19 July: Match 3: Telugu Titans vs Dabang Delhi (8 PM IST)
19 July: Match 4: U Mumba vs Bengaluru Bulls (9 PM IST)
20 July: Match 5: Puneri Paltan vs Telugu Titans (8 PM IST)
20 July: Match 6: U Mumba vs Patna Pirates (9 PM IST)
21 July: Match 7: U Mumba vs Puneri Paltan (8 PM IST)
21 August: Semi-Final 1: Rank 1 vs Rank 4 (8 PM IST)
21 August: Semi-Final 2: Rank 2 vs Rank 3 (9 PM IST)
23 August: ¾ Place: Runner Up SF 1 vs Runner Up SF 2 (8 PM IST)
23 August: FINAL: Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2 (9 PM IST)
Venue: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium, Kolkata
22 July: Match 8: Bengal Warriors vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
22 July: Match 9: Bengaluru Bulls vs Patna Pirates (9 PM IST)
23 July: Match 10: Bengal Warriors vs Telugu Titans (8 PM IST)
24 July: Match 11: Dabang Delhi vs Puneri Paltan (8 PM IST)
24 July: Match 12: Bengal Warriors vs U Mumba (9 PM IST)
25 July: Match 13: Bengaluru Bulls vs Puneri Paltan (8 PM IST)
25 July: Match 14: Bengal Warriors vs Dabang Delhi (9 PM IST)
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
26 July: Match 15: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Patna Pirates (8 PM IST)
26 July: Match 16: Telugu Titans vs U Mumba (9 PM IST)
27 July: Match 17: Dabang Delhi vs Bengaluru Bulls (8 PM IST)
27 July: Match 18: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Telugu Titans (9 PM IST)
28 July: Match 19: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengaluru Bulls (8 PM IST)
29 July: Match 20: Puneri Paltan vs Bengal Warriors (8 PM IST)
29 July: Match 21: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Dabang Delhi (9 PM IST)
Venue: Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna
30 July: Match 22: Patna Pirates vs Telugu Titans (8 PM IST)
31 July: Match 23: Telugu Titans vs Bengaluru Bulls (8 PM IST)
31 July: Match 24: Patna Pirates vs Dabang Delhi (9 PM IST)
1 Aug: Match 25: Dabang Delhi vs U Mumba (8 PM IST)
1 Aug: Match 26: Patna Pirates vs Puneri Paltan (9 PM IST)
2 Aug: Match 27: Puneri Paltan vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
2 Aug: Match 28: Patna Pirates vs Bengal Warriors (9 PM IST)
Venue: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad
4 Aug: Match 29: Telugu Titans vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
4 Aug: Match 30: U Mumba vs Dabang Delhi (9 PM IST)
5 Aug: Match 31: Telugu Titans vs Bengal Warriors (8 PM IST)
6 Aug: Match 32: Bengal Warriors vs Bengaluru Bulls (8 PM IST)
6 Aug: Match 33: Telugu Titans vs Patna Pirates (9 PM IST)
7 Aug: Match 34: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs U Mumba (8 PM IST)
7 Aug: Match 35: Telugu Titans vs Puneri Paltan (9 PM IST)
Venue: Thyagaraj Sports Complex, Delhi
8 Aug: Match 36: Dabang Delhi vs Bengal Warriors (8 PM IST)
8 Aug: Match 37: Patna Pirates vs Bengaluru Bulls (9 PM IST)
9 Aug: Match 38: U Mumba vs Bengal Warriors (8 PM IST)
9 Aug: Match 39: Dabang Delhi vs Patna Pirates (9 PM IST)
10 Aug: Match 40: Dabang Delhi vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
11 Aug: Match 41: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Puneri Paltan (8 PM IST)
11 Aug: Match 42: Dabang Delhi vs Telugu Titans (9 PM IST)
Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru
12 Aug: Match 43: Bengaluru Bulls vs U Mumba (8 PM IST)
13 Aug: Match 44: Bengal Warriors vs Puneri Paltan (8 PM IST)
13 Aug: Match 45: Bengaluru Bulls vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (9 PM IST)
14 Aug: Match 46: Bengal Warriors vs Patna Pirates (8 PM IST)
14 Aug: Match 47: Bengaluru Bulls vs Dabang Delhi (9 PM IST)
15 Aug: Match 48: Patna Pirates vs U Mumba (8 PM IST)
15 Aug: Match 49: Bengaluru Bulls vs Telugu Titans (9 PM IST)
Venue: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune
16 Aug: Match 50: Puneri Paltan vs Dabang Delhi (8 PM IST)
16 Aug: Match 51: Jaipur Pink Panthers vs Bengal Warriors (9 PM IST)
17 Aug: Match 52: Puneri Paltan vs U Mumba (8 PM IST)
18 Aug: Match 53: U Mumba vs Telugu Titans (8 PM IST)
18 Aug: Match 54: Puneri Paltan vs Patna Pirates (9 PM IST)
19 Aug: Match 55: Patna Pirates vs Jaipur Pink Panthers (8 PM IST)
19 Aug: Match 56: Puneri Paltan vs Bengaluru Bulls (9 PM IST)
