The inaugural day of the Pro Wrestling League got underway with a bit of a shock on Thursday, as Indian star female wrestler Geeta Phogat picked up a defeat against Shakshi Malik in the 58 kg category women's wrestling match.
Geeta represented Punjab Royals, while her opponent belonged to the PWL franchisee Mumbai Garuda. The first-of-its-kind tournament in India has signalled that there could be a lot of upsets along the way.
Mumbai overpowered the Dharmendra co-owned Punjab side 43-26 following seven two-five minute round matches.
Friday's match sees Sushil Kumar-led UP Warriors taking on Bengaluru Yodhas at the IGI Stadium in the national capital. However, there is a big doubt on the participation of the double Olympic medallist as reports surfaced yesterday that Sushil was upset with the organisers, and he has decided to withdraw from the competition.
It was also reported that Purevjavyn Onorbat from Mongolia is Sushil's replacement in UP Warriors. Nevertheless, the order of the matches will decide if Sushil makes an appearance in the fight card today.
Apart from Sushil (or Onorbat), Indian female wrestler Babita Kumari remains the star attraction in Team UP. The 26-year-old won the Gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow just last year.
For Team Bengaluru, Narsingh Yadav, winner of the gold medal in the men's 74 kg freestyle category at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010, remains the star attraction. Bajrang Punia, 21, who won the silver in the Asian Games in Incheon last year in the 31 kg men's freestyle category, is the other big name.
UP Warriors vs Bengaluru Yodhas is scheduled for a 7 pm IST start.
Where to watch the action
Viewers in India can catch the Hindi feed of the matches on Sony Max and Sony Pal, while the English feed is available on Sony Six / Six HD.
The online streaming is also available on SonyLiv.
