PKL 2019 | A sneak peek into the new playoff format
PKL’s seventh season witnessed a lot of interesting and close matches and now the top six teams have sealed their spot in the Playoffs. With the organisers following the double round-robin format for the league stage this year, the playoffs will also be different this season than the previous one.
The seventh season of the Pro Kabaddi League has seen a lot of ups and downs and now it has come to the last stages of the competition. The format of the league differed completely from the last season as they decided to set aside the zonal format which was based on geographical area.
The three-month-long league saw teams that started strong like Jaipur Pink Panthers and Patna Pirates slump in the middle and failing to make it to playoffs. The team with big names also failed to make an impact like Tamil Thalaivas and Telugu Titans. Two-time finalists and the team whose home stadium is going to witness the playoffs - Gujarat Fortunegiants – are also not a part of the playoffs.
In the previous season, the teams were divided into two groups Zone A and B. The Qualifier 1 then featured the top teams of Zone A and Zone B where the winner went into the finals. The losing team then played against the winners of the three Eliminators combined. The format was confusing at times.
However, after a different league format this year, now it’s time for the playoffs and there is a new format for the playoff matches as well. After the league stage, six teams – Bengal Warriors, Dabang Delhi, U Mumba, Haryana Steelers, Bengaluru Bulls, and UP Yoddha made it to the playoffs. The top two teams Bengal Warriors and Dabang Delhi will directly play the semi-finals while the other four teams will have to play eliminator matches.
The two eliminators will be played on Monday with the Eliminator 1 featuring teams at Rank 3 and Rank 6 i.e the first eliminator will be between UP Yoddha and Bengaluru Bulls and the winner will qualify for the semis and play the top-ranked team of the league stage - Delhi for a place in the final.
On the other hand, the teams at Rank 4 (U Mumba) and Rank 5 (Haryana Steelers) will take on each other later on Monday evening in the second eliminator game. The winner will qualify for the other semi-final game and take on Bengal Warriors.
The semi-final matches will be played on Wednesday before the grand-finale next Saturday at the Transtadia Arena in Ahmedabad.
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