PKL goes international: Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid set to be played in Melbourne on December 28

Hyderabad: India’s Pro Kabaddi League is all set to embrace foreign shores as the Pro Kabaddi League is geared up for an international debut. An exhibition match from the glitzy kabaddi league is set to be played in Melbourne – as the Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid – on December 28, 2024.

Former Australian Rules Football (AFL) legend Joshua Kennedy will captain the Australian kabaddi team, comprising retired AFL professionals, in the Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid – an exhibition kabaddi match against a star studded Indian kabaddi team at the John Cain Arena in Melbourne.

Melbourne, the sporting capital of Australia, hosts the Boxing Day Test match, the Australian Open and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix among much more and the addition of an exhibition kabaddi match is a feather in the illustrious sporting cap of Melbourne.

Kennedy got a first-hand idea of kabaddi on the sidelines of the Pro Kabaddi League in Noida and the former footballer exchanged jerseys with Sachin Tanwar of Tamil Thalaivas and Arjun Deshwal, the captain of Jaipur Pink Panthers.

The retired AFL star indulged in knowledge building about the sport and trained with the team to prepare for his upcoming captaincy in the Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid.

Ahead of this dynamic cross-sport engagement, the Indian league’s presence in Melbourne will feature a mix of Australian and Indian players, marking a unique blend of sporting traditions between India and Australia.

Kennedy said he had a whale of a time in India experiencing the sport and is now looking forward to the Pro Kabaddi League Melbourne Raid. “Experiencing kabaddi first hand has been incredible. It is a sport that is fast, intense, and deeply rooted in Indian culture. Engaging with the Pro Kabaddi League has not only expanded my understanding of the game but also highlighted the power of sports to bridge cultures. I am looking forward to taking a piece of this experience back to Melbourne and cannot wait to see how Kabaddi resonates with Australian audiences during the all-star game,” Kennedy said, in a media release.

The retired AFL athlete was in India as a part of a cultural exchange programme, recognising the sporting excellence between the two countries, facilitated by Visit Victoria.

The Australian kabaddi team participated in the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup in India and won one match out of the five games they played in the World Cup. The Australian kabaddi team beat Argentina 68-45 and Australia was captained by former AFL player Campbell Brown. Incidentally, Brown is all set to don the coaching hat for the Australian side for the Pro Kabaddi Melbourne Raid.