Which is the most popular PKL team in the Pro Kabaddi League? Find the most famous PKL team based on Instagram followers.
For the past few years, social networking site Instagram has been one of the most popular social media platforms with almost more than one billion daily users, consisting of over 80 million users from India.
After the Indian Premier League (IPL), The Pro Kabaddi League is the most followed franchise-based sporting event, and it has entertained a lot of fans who follow the sport of Kabaddi with sheer excitement. Pro Kabaddi league has been the talk of the town since it’s the inaugural season in 2014, with seven seasons and 12 teams down the line the interest and fan following has increased a lot.
To connect their fans with the team’s updates, announcements, insights, players, and their accomplishments in the competition, each of the 12 PKL branches has their own Instagram accounts/handles. The popularity level of a franchise also depends upon the number of followers it has on social media, as such social media sites play an integral role in promoting the tournament to gain more fans.
The rankings of 12 teams of the Pro Kabbadi League based on their number of Instagram followers are:
#12 Telegu Titans (79.8K followers)
Telugu Titans is a Hyderabad-based franchise that has the least number of followers on Instagram, only 79800+ followers compared to the other 12 teams. Telugu Titans are the only team other than Puneri Paltan to never even reach the finals among the first eight teams from the inaugural season.
Following the release of defender turned raider Rahul Chaudhari, the Telugu Titans faced a sudden dip in their fanbase. The franchise signed star raider Siddharth Desai for a whopping amount of 1.45 crore in the last season, they finished at 11th position in Season 7.
#11 Harayana Steelers (80.1K followers)
Visible by their name Haryana Steelers is a Haryana-based franchise. Even though Harayana people are known for their massive interest in Kabaddi, the Haryana based franchise officially has only 80,100+ followers on Instagram. One reason for settlers’ lack of fan following could be the absence of star players in the team.
Though Haryana settlers had a late entry in 2014 to the pro kabaddi league, their fanbase has increased at a good pace compared to other entrants.
#10 UP Yoddha (81.2k followers)
UP Yoddha is a Greater Noida-based franchise and has played only three seasons, joining the PKL in season 5. They don’t have much popularity in social media, even though they are the only team to have qualified to the playoffs among the four sides who joined the league, having 81,200+ followers on Instagram.
UP Yoddha is a consistent team maybe the lack of craze for the sport in greater Noida region is the reason for low popularity in social media.
#9 Dabang Delhi K.C. (83.7k followers)
Dabang Delhi K.C. is a Delhi based franchise, performed great in season 7 finished as runners up.
Their star performer was young and talented Naveen Kumar Goyat. They have a total of 83700K followers on Instagram, after coming into the playoffs in two consecutive seasons.
They a well-balanced defense led by Ravinder Pahal and Joginder Nawal, Delhi showed a consistent performance along with a Chandran Ranjith, Naveen Kumar, and Vijay as leading raiders.
#8 Bengal Warriors (103K followers)
The Kolkata based franchise, Bengal Warriors, are the defending champions stand at the 8th position with 103000+ followers on Instagram. They clinched their maiden title in season 7 with a balanced and all-round performance that is driven by the likes of Iranian Mohammad Nabibakhsh and Maninder Singh.
After their spectacular title-winning performance in the seventh edition, the champions gained a respectable amount of followers. In the absence of regular skipper Minder Singh, Nabibakhsh led the team and performed with maturity throughout the season.
#7 Gujarat Fortune Giants (106K followers)
The back to back finalists Gujarat Fortune Giants is a Gujarat based franchise, and are known backing youngsters, they have impressed a lot of Kabaddi fans and have gained about 106000+ followers on Instagram.
Their coach, Manpreet Singh, is known to be one of the most thrilling coaches in the league and widely admired for nurturing and giving opportunities to young talented players like Rohit Gulia, Sunil Kumar, Sachin Tanwar, and Parvesh Bhainswal. Their unique style of play had become a primary reason for the increase in their popularity.
#6 Puneri Paltan (17k followers)
The Pune based franchise, Puneri Paltans have never been able to reach the finals of the Pro Kabaddi league. Though They are famous for their power-packed performances, they haven’t found the right combination of players to seal the title.
They have 117,000+ followers on Instagram. The side had lured a lot of attention with the signing of former Indian captain Anup Kumar as head coach. A lot of fans follow and play Kabaddi with great passion in Maharashtra.
#5 Jaipur Pink Panthers (121.2K followers)
Standing at fifth is Jaipur Pink Panthers, with 121,200+ followers on Instagram, owned by famous Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan. Since the beginning, Pink Panthers are always known for their aggressive style of play, and it is one of the critical reasons for their consistent growth in fan following over the years.
Their rivalry with U Mumba is one of the most-awaited and intense matches of each season. They had made it to the finals of Pro Kabaddi League season 4 with the help of Jasvir Singh.
#4 Tamil Thalaivas (137.4K followers)
Tamil Thalaivas is a Chennai-based franchise and has earned immense popularity in the span of just three seasons and is the most followed teams among the ones which joined the Pro Kabaddi League in season 5 with 137,400+ followers on Instagram.
As the game was originated in the Tamil Nadu region of South India, they thus have a huge fan following for Kabaddi. The star player for the Thalaivas has been the Padma Shri and Arjuna Award winner, Ajay Thakur, along with the support of Manjeet Chhillar and Rahul Chaudhari.
#3 U Mumba (180.9K followers)
The Mumbai based franchise U Mumba is at 3rd with 180,900+ followers on Instagram. They have been home to many famous players like Rakesh Kumar, Surender Nada, Siddharth Desai, Fazel Atrachali, Anup Kumar, and Rishank Devadigaz, which is one of the main reasons for the champions of season 2 Pro Kabaddi League’s popularity.
The team is owned by famous Entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala and has performed very consistently over the years, also reaching the finals for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016. The franchise has won a lot of respect in the Maharashtrian region for nurturing and give chances to young talents in their team. Mumbai is a popular city in India which makest he Umumba one of the most popular PKL team in the Pro Kabaddi League.
#2 Bengaluru Bulls (206K followers)
From the start, Bengaluru Bulls have been a competitive side, and they are one of only two teams to have crossed the mark of 200k followers with 206,000+ followers on Instagram. The Bengaluru Bulls have a huge fanbase from the Karnataka region, and the state has developed immensely in the sport Kabbadi.
The Bengaluru based franchise saw a considerable boost in all of their media sites after ‘Hi flyer’ Pawan Sehrawat’s mind-blowing performance in the sixth season, single-handedly helped his side lift the trophy. If you still confused which is the most popular PKL team on Social Media then here’s the hint: It is the most successful PKL team.
#1 Patna Pirates (213.6K followers)
The most popular PKL team on Instagram is the Patna based franchise, Patna Pirates, with 213,600 Instagram followers. The Three-time champions Patna Pirates is the most successful side in Pro Kabaddi League history.
The main reason for their massive fanbase on all most every social media platform is ace player Pardeep Narwal. Also known as the ‘Record Breaker,’ Pradeep Narwal is the only raider to have scored more than 1,000 raid points ever in the tournament’s history.
Over-dependence on the most prolific raider in PKL has led the Patna Pirates to their downfall, and they will be looking to bounce back, rebuild a balanced squad and lift the trophy once again in the upcoming season 8 of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Note: The number of followers has been taken into reference as of 7th March 2024.