New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS): Defending champions Mumbai Maharathi will lock horns with inaugural runners-up Haryana Hammers in the second edition of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL), starting at the K.D. Jadhav Indoor Stadium here from January 2.

Besides the franchises from Mumbai and Haryana, the tournament will witness four other teams Delhi Sultans, Jaipur Ninjas, UP Dangal and NCR Punjab Royals battling it out for the prize purse of Rs 15 crore.

Commenting on the tournament, Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh said: "We are very excited to be back with season 2 of PWL which is much bigger and better than the previous season."

"With the kind of participation that we have for this year's edition across the globe, it has indeed given a rise to the popularity of the league even before it started."

The tournament will witness 15 matches in the league phase followed by two semi-finals on the January 17 and 18 while the final will be held on January 19.

The tournament will witness a total of 54 wrestlers participating in the season 2. The matches will be played in nine categories out of which 57kg, 65kg, 70kg, 74kg and 97kg are male categories and 48kg, 53kg, 58kg and 69-75kg are female categories.