Hyderabad, Feb 24 (IANS): After 12 weeks of high-octane contests, the top six teams in the league stage are all set to battle it out in the Playoffs stage of the Pro Kabaddi League here from February 26.
Kabaddi fever will envelop the City of Pearls with two engrossing clashes at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex, Gachibowli on Monday as the third-placed Dabang Delhi K.C. take on the sixth-placed Patna Pirates in Eliminator 1 while fourth-placed Gujarat Giants will face fifth-placed Haryana Steelers in Eliminator 2. All four teams will be playing for a place in the semifinals, which will be played on Wednesday (Feb 28).
Table-toppers Puneri Paltan and second-placed Jaipur Pink Panthers have already confirmed their places in the semifinals. The Pune side will be up against the winner of Eliminator 1, while the defending champions will take on the winner of Eliminator 2 in the last-four stage. The grand finale is scheduled for Friday (March 1), the PKL organisers informed in a release on Saturday.
Speaking about the Pro Kabaddi League Season 10 so far, Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League said, "PKL Season 10 has been very special because we have returned to the kabaddi catchments of each of our 12 franchise's homes after four years, even as the broadcast and OTT consumption of our league-stage matches has grown so impressively. Now we are confident that the PKL Season 10 Playoffs and Finale will set new thresholds for quality of competition as well as spectator and viewer engagement."
When asked about the Puneri Paltan's consistent run of form, the skipper Aslam Inamdar said, "We've come into the Playoffs with a lot of confidence. After having topped the league, the only way to end this campaign is by giving the fans the PKL trophy. We gave our 100% in the league stage and we hope to continue to do so in the playoffs as well."
Meanwhile, the Jaipur Pink Panthers' captain Sunil Kumar is confident that his team will defend the title they won last season. "Any team in the semifinal will present us with a tough opportunity to reach the final. But at the same time, the Jaipur Pink Panthers will not back down. We will also give our 100% to defend our title and win our third trophy."