The newly formed New Kabaddi Federation (NKF) on Wednesday slammed the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) for negligence in the Indian squad selection for the recently concluded 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.
On the occasion of launching its new kabaddi league -- Indo International Premier Kabaddi League (IIPKL) -- NKF spokesperson Bharat Nagar without naming the AKFI said the new tournament will reach out to more players in the country's rural belt as the rival federation has created a monopoly in the game.
This will be the second franchise based kabaddi tournament in the country after the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), which was launched in 2014.
Nagar said many kabaddi players didn't get a chance to showcase their talent as the AKFI is being ruled by a single family for the last many years while the NKF is formed by the players.
Significantly, the upcoming league, beginning on January 26 next year, is expected to witness the participation of over 1,000 players.
A pool of 823 Indian players will include 271 state-level players, 137 national and international level players and 84 international players registered with the NKF.
The inaugural season of the IIPKL, which will be broadcast on DSport, will feature eight teams namely Bengaluru Rhinos, Chennai Cheetahs, Delhi Dumars, Telangana Bulls, Patna Panthers, Haryana Hurricanes, Mumbai Marathas and Kolkata Tigers.
Each franchise will have two to three international players. The top 4 teams will qualify for the playoffs.
The NKF General Secretary MV Prasad Babu announced that 20 per cent of the annual profits from the league will be distributed to the participating players.