Mumbai, Apr 9 (IANS): Ahead of the sixth season of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), 21 players have been retained by their respective franchises, the league announced on Monday.

Meraj Sheykh, Pardeep Narwal, Ajay Thakur and Sandeep Narwal are among the elite players retained by the nine franchises.

Commenting on the retentions, PKL League Commissioner Anupam Goswami said: "The League is strongly in favour of team stability and instituting it at a policy level to enable strong team structures."

"The player retention framework has been strengthened to encourage continuity and a longer term association between player and franchise, to the benefit of both. Squad talent, formation and development have always been top priority for us," he added.

The players were retained through the elite player retention process, a key constituent to build team continuity for the longer term and the franchises, a statement from PKL read.

The sixth season of the league will kick-off on October 19.