British Kabaddi League

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The British Kabaddi League (BKL) is a professional kabaddi league that occurs annually in Britain, with the first edition occurring in 2022. The league is hosted by the English Kabaddi Association and Scottish Kabaddi Association.^[1]

History

The BKL was started to encourage kabaddi across the United Kingdom and among the South Asian community; it follows in the wake of other initiatives to promote kabaddi in Britain, such as the showing of kabaddi on Channel 4 in the 1990s.^[2] It was also started to capitalise on the tourism boost caused by the 2022 Commonwealth Games.^[1]^[3]^[4] There are plans to expand the number of teams in the league and start a women's edition.^[5]

Format

The competition takes place over four weekends, with each weekend's competition taking place in a different city.^[6]^[7]

Teams

There are ten teams in the league, up from eight in the 2022 edition: Birmingham Bulls, Wolverhampton Wolfpack, Walsall Hunters, Leicester Warriors, Edinburgh Eagles, Glasgow Unicorns, Harrow Heroes, Luton Bengal Tigers, Nottingham Royals and Manchester Raiders.^[8]^[9]

Results

2022 season

In the 2022 season, the following playoff results occurred:^[10]^[11]

Semi-final 1: Birmingham Bulls beat the Manchester Raiders 44-33

Semi-final 2: Glasgow Unicorns beat the London Lions 33-31

Third-place playoff: Manchester Raiders beat the London Lions 52-51

British Kabaddi League Final: Birmingham Bulls beat the Glasgow Unicorns 48-18

References

^ ^a ^b "British Kabaddi League launched in bid to develop the sport". www.insidethegames.biz. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "Man behind British Kabaddi League explains fastest growing sport and impact in Scotland". HeraldScotland. 2022-04-30. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "British Kabaddi League kicks off this weekend". The Times of India. 2023-04-08. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "University to host British Kabaddi League 2023". www.wlv.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "Ward says British Kabaddi League underlines Birmingham's diversity". www.insidethegames.biz. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "Kabaddi chief 'humbled' by new league's 'momentum'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "West Midlands launch is big for kabaddi, the sport where you feel like Bruce Lee". www.insidethegames.biz. 2022-04-02. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "Birmingham defend kabaddi crown in Glasgow". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ Manchester Raiders: team in British Kabaddi League bidding for glory as competition’s second season starts https://www.manchesterworld.uk/ Andrew Nowell
^ "British Kabaddi League 2022: Birmingham Bulls crowned champions". SportsAdda. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ "Glasgow and Edinburgh teams feature in inaugural British Kabaddi League". Sport First. Retrieved 2023-08-22.

Category:

Kabaddi in the United Kingdom