Kabaddi makes live return on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ this weekend
Kabaddi combines elements of tig with wrestling and martial arts
- Published
The British Kabaddi League's third season begins with the opening round of matches taking place in Wolverhampton on Friday before the weekend’s fixtures are shown on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport Scotland website and app.
Birmingham Bulls are the tournament favourites having won the inaugural competition in 2022 and then defended their title at the final in Glasgow a year ago.
For the first time, three women’s teams are taking part in exhibition matches to showcase the sport at the WV Active venue in Aldersley.
BKL chief executive Prem Singh said: "This is a really exciting time for Kabaddi in the UK, with the growth of women’s teams, a new franchise - Sandwell Kings - taking part for the first time.
"We hope the BKL will whet the appetite for next year's kabaddi spectacle and we’re delighted the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is once more streaming our matches."
What is kabaddi?
Kabaddi is an ancient South Asian sport played on a pitch similar in size to a badminton court.
It involves raiders crossing into their opponents’ half to make contact with as many of the seven defenders as they can and returning to safety in their own half without being stopped.
Kabaddi requires speed, agility and strategy and combines elements of tig with wrestling and martial arts.
Which teams are competing?
Men:
Birmingham Bulls
Coventry Chargers
Glasgow Unicorns
Edinburgh Eagles
Manchester Raiders
Nottingham Royals
Sandwell Kings
Walsall Hunters
Wolverhampton Wolfpack
Women:
Manchester Ladies
Nottingham Queens
Wolverhampton Ladies
How can I watch?
The ´óÏó´«Ã½ will stream all 10 matches taking place across the weekend, beginning with the contest between two of last season’s most exciting teams, the Bulls and Manchester Raiders, at 12:00 BST on Saturday.
The Wolverhampton event will be followed by round two at Centre AT7 in Coventry on Friday, 3 to Sunday, 5 May. Glasgow’s Bellahouston Sport Centre will host round three on Saturday, 11 and Sunday, 12 May - and the finals weekend will be at Nechells Wellbeing Centre, Birmingham on 18 and 19 May.
´óÏó´«Ã½ iPlayer coverage from 12:00 BST until approximately 17:30 BST on Saturday, 20 and Sunday, 21 April