The Pro Kabaddi League 2026 Auction (Season 13) has no official date yet, but league sources point to a window between July–August 2026, though a growing number of reports suggest it may slide to October 2026 because of the Asian Games clash.
All 12 franchises are already reshaping their squads through retentions and young-player signings ahead of it. Here’s everything confirmed and reported so far.
PKL Season 13 Auction: Quick Facts at a Glance
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Official auction date | Not confirmed by Mashal Sports |
| Expected window | July–August 2026 (some reports now suggest October 2026) |
| Number of franchises | 12 (unchanged) |
| Season 12 total spend | ₹37.90 crore across two days (Pro Kabaddi) |
| Season 12 players sold | 121 players |
| Defending champion | Dabang Delhi K.C. |
| Expected season start | October–December 2026 |
| Broadcast | Star Sports Network (TV), JioHotstar (streaming) |
When Is the PKL 2026 Auction? Here’s What We Know
As of now, Mashal Sports has not announced an official auction date, so anything you read, including this piece, is built on reports rather than a confirmed calendar.
Most kabaddi outlets, have consistently pointed to a July–August 2026 window, in line with how Season 12’s auction was held in May–June 2025 ahead of an August start.
However, some more recent reports suggest the timeline could get pushed further out. That matters, so let’s unpack why.
Why the Asian Games Could Delay Things
India’s kabaddi contingent is heading to the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where the kabaddi competition runs from 21 to 26 September 2026.
Since a large chunk of PKL’s marquee raiders and defenders also represent India at multi-nation events, franchises and the league typically avoid scheduling auctions or matches that clash with national duty.
That’s likely why a report circulated in May 2026 suggesting the auction could shift to mid-October, with the season itself kicking off around mid-December, once the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Championship, and the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games wrap up.
Treat this as a plausible scenario rather than a locked-in date until Mashal Sports confirms it officially.
All 12 Teams Heading Into the Season 13 Auction
The franchise list stays exactly the same for PKL Season 13. No expansion, no exits, just squad reshuffles at the auction table:
- Bengal Warriorz
- Bengaluru Bulls
- Dabang Delhi K.C. (defending champions)
- Gujarat Giants
- Haryana Steelers
- Jaipur Pink Panthers
- Patna Pirates
- Puneri Paltan
- Tamil Thalaivas
- Telugu Titans
- U Mumba
- U.P. Yoddha
Dabang Delhi K.C. enter as defending champions after edging Puneri Paltan 31-28 in the Season 12 final at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium, becoming just the second home franchise to lift the trophy since U Mumba did it in Season 2.
That home-soil win adds a layer of pressure heading into their title defence, since every rival franchise will be building specifically to knock them off.
If you’re also tracking confirmed squads and probable playing XIs for each side, that’s covered separately in our team-by-team squad guides, so we won’t repeat the roster breakdowns here.
How the PKL Auction Actually Works
Before the bidding starts, it helps to understand the framework every franchise operates within. The PKL auction isn’t a free-for-all.
It runs on a fixed salary purse per team, split across defined player categories, plus two special rules that let teams work around the open bidding process entirely.
Player Categories: A, B, C and D
Every eligible player entering the pool gets slotted into one of four categories based on past performance, reputation, and market value:
| Category | Player Profile & Status | Financial Potential & Base Price |
|---|---|---|
| Category A | Marquee players; usually elite raiders or defenders with proven Super 10s or High 5s. | Highest base price (₹30 Lakh); frequently cross the ₹1 Crore+ mark (crorepatis). |
| Category B | Established performers with a solid, reliable track record, but not quite top-tier stardom. | Second-highest base price (₹20 Lakh). |
| Category C | Rising players with a couple of good seasons behind them. | Moderate base price (₹13 Lakh). |
| Category D | Fresh faces, uncapped players, or those returning after limited game time. | Entry-level base price (₹9 Lakh). |
Teams bid using their fixed purse, and once it runs out, they’re done, regardless of how many good players remain unsold. That scarcity is exactly what drives bidding wars in the closing overs of an auction day.
The Final Bid Match (FBM) Rule
The Final Bid Match rule lets a franchise buy back a player it released, but only by matching the highest bid placed by any other team during the live auction.
So if a released player’s former team wants them back, they have to pay whatever the market decides, not a discounted “loyalty” rate.
Teams can typically use this for one or two players per season, which is why retention strategy and FBM planning happens months before the actual auction day.
New Young Players (NYP): Building Outside the Auction
The New Young Players rule works completely outside the auction window. It lets franchises sign promising domestic talent directly, giving the team development rights over that player without having to bid for them later.
This is exactly why you’ll see teams announcing “NYP signings” throughout the off-season. It’s a quiet pipeline for building depth before the bidding chaos even begins.
PKL Season 12 Auction Recap: The Numbers That Set the Bar
Context matters when trying to predict how big Season 13’s spending will get, so here’s where the bar currently sits. The Season 12 auction, held in May–June 2025, saw:
- ₹37.90 crore in total spending across two auction days
- 121 players acquired by the 12 franchises
- A record number of crorepatis, players who crossed the ₹1 crore mark
- Mohammadreza Shadloui Chiyaneh, bought by Gujarat Giants for ₹2.23 crore, among the headline-grabbing bids of the auction
For perspective on how far the league has come financially, Season 1 back in 2014 ran on a team purse of just ₹60 lakh.
Every cycle since has pushed spending higher, and industry chatter suggests Season 13 could break that record again, partly because franchises are already investing heavily in young talent before a single bid is even placed.
Players Likely to Draw Big Bids in the 2026 Auction
A few names are already generating buzz ahead of the auction, and for good reason:
- Pardeep Narwal continues to lead the league’s all-time raid points charts, and any team looking for a proven closer will circle his name early.
- Fazel Atrachali, the Season 12 MVP with Dabang Delhi K.C., remains the benchmark for defensive stability, and defenders of his calibre rarely stay unsold for long.
- Ayan Lohchab of Patna Pirates finished Season 12 as the league’s top raider with 316 raid points, making him one of the most in-demand young raiders heading into the auction.
Beyond the marquee names, expect a genuine scramble for Category C and D players this time. With franchises leaning harder into long-term squad building through NYP signings, the auction floor itself may see sharper, more targeted bidding for specific roles rather than star power alone.
What’s Different About This Season’s Auction
A few shifts separate this cycle from previous ones:
- Heavier pre-auction investment. Franchises are locking in young talent through NYP deals well before the bidding starts, a trend that’s accelerated compared to earlier seasons.
- Coaching overhauls. Several teams have already made or are finalising major coaching changes, which usually shapes auction strategy since new coaches bring their own tactical priorities into the room.
- A possible calendar shift. As covered above, the Asian Games could nudge both the auction and the season itself later into the year than fans are used to.
- Tactical evolution in bidding. Reports suggest franchises are increasingly valuing controlled, low-risk raiding and disciplined defence over flashy multi-point specialists, which could change who actually commands the top bids this year.
The Bottom Line
Until Mashal Sports drops an official date, treat every PKL 2026 auction timeline as an educated guess built on team activity and past patterns.
What’s certain is that all 12 franchises are already positioning themselves through retentions, NYP deals, and coaching changes. Bookmark this page. We’ll update it the moment the auction date, categories, and purse figures are officially confirmed.
Last updated: July 2026. This article will be refreshed as Mashal Sports releases official auction details.
FAQs
No official date has been confirmed by Mashal Sports. Reports estimate a July–August 2026 window, though some suggest it could shift to October 2026 due to the Asian Games.
All 12 existing franchises return unchanged, with no new teams added.
The Season 12 auction totalled ₹37.90 crore across 121 players sold over two days.
It lets a franchise re-sign a released player by matching the highest bid any other team placed for that player during the live auction.
Official auction updates and streaming details are typically posted on prokabaddi.com and via Star Sports and JioHotstar closer to the date.