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Kabaddi Champions League 2026, the Haryana-based competition in India, is preparing for its second season with 10 teams, an auction on 17 October and player retentions already announced. Rohtak Royals are the defending champions. Here is a guide to the teams, retained players, reported tournament dates and the first season's results.
When will Season 2 start?
Season 2 was announced on 14 September 2026. A September report in Hindustan placed the tournament in November 2026 at the Sports University of Haryana in Rai, Sonipat.
The exact opening date, final date and match-by-match fixtures could not be verified as of 14 October. November should therefore be treated as the reported tournament window until the league confirms its full schedule.
The confirmed 17 October date is for the player auction. It is not the start date of the competition.
The first Kabaddi Champions League ran from 25 January to 7 February 2026. The reported November window would put both editions in the same calendar year.
Season 2 teams and head coaches
The league is expanding from eight teams to 10. Jhajjar Jaguars and Kurukshetra Knights are the additions to the original field.
Jhajjar's franchise was initially announced as Jind Jaguars. The latest league roster uses Jhajjar Jaguars, so the two names refer to the same new franchise.
The head coaches announced on 13 October are:
| Team | Head coach |
|---|---|
| Bhiwani Bulls | Samsher Singh |
| Faridabad Fighters | Om Parkash Narwal |
| Gurugram Gurus | Jagpal Singh |
| Hisar Heroes | Vinod Kumar |
| Jhajjar Jaguars | Ramesh Kumar |
| Karnal Kings | Ravinder Pahal |
| Kurukshetra Knights | Anup Singh |
| Panipat Panthers | Randeep Dalal |
| Rohtak Royals | Jagdeep Singh |
| Sonipat Stars | Surender Nada |
These are the confirmed team and coaching names. The expanded field alone does not establish the number of league matches, the draw or the playoff format for the second season.
Which players have been retained?
The league's official Instagram posts from 12 and 13 October confirmed the following 10 retentions across five teams.
| Team | Confirmed retained players |
|---|---|
| Gurugram Gurus | Rahul Sethpal, Mandeep Kumar, Sahil Jagveer |
| Panipat Panthers | Narender Kandola, Vishal Narwal |
| Karnal Kings | Akshit Dhull, Harsh Vedpal |
| Bhiwani Bulls | Devank Dalal, Sourav Sanjay |
| Hisar Heroes | Ashu Malik |
These are the retentions verified as of 14 October, rather than complete Season 2 squads. Retention announcements for the other five teams remain unverified; their absence here does not mean every player has been released.
Gurugram's three confirmed names give it continuity in both parts of the game. Rahul Sethpal is a defender, while Mandeep Kumar and Sahil Jagveer are raiders. Panipat has also retained a raider and a defender in Narender Kandola and Vishal Narwal.
For readers new to kabaddi, raiders enter the opposition half to score points, while defenders try to stop them from returning safely. Keeping players in both roles gives a team a starting point for building the rest of its squad.
Retentions still offer only a partial view of the competition. The auction will help show how teams fill the positions around these players, including the choices available when a regular starter needs replacing.
What is confirmed about the auction?
According to the league announcement reported by ANI on 14 October, the Season 2 auction will take place on 17 October 2026. More than 300 players are expected to be available, with a combined purse of ₹5 crore across the 10 franchises, or ₹50 lakh per team.
The announcement also said central trials in Sonipat and Rohtak had received more than 6,000 registrations. That registration figure refers to the trials, not the number of players entering the auction.
The auction is the next major step towards complete squads. The retained players will be joined by auction signings before the full squads can be assessed.
Who won the first season?
The league was launched in Sonipat on 18 August 2025, before its first competition took place in January and February 2026. Eight city franchises contested that inaugural edition, with matches held at the Sports University of Haryana in Rai.
Rohtak Royals won the inaugural Kabaddi Champions League by beating Bhiwani Bulls 32-30 in the final on 7 February 2026. The title match took place at the Sports University of Haryana in Rai, Sonipat.
The Royals led 20-16 at half-time, but the four-point advantage did not settle the contest. Bhiwani moved a point ahead late in the game before Rohtak recovered to secure a two-point victory and the first KCL title.
Rohtak's route shows why the league table and the championship result need to be read separately. The Royals finished fourth in the league phase with four wins and three losses from seven matches. They then defeated table-toppers Panipat Panthers 43-36 in the semi-final on 6 February before overcoming Bhiwani in the final.
Bhiwani reached the title match by beating Hisar Heroes 40-36 in the other semi-final on the same day. Both finalists had finished below Panipat and Hisar in the league standings, but won the knockout matches that decided who would contest the trophy.
Rohtak therefore enter Season 2 as defending champions. Panipat were the first season's league-stage leaders, which is a different achievement.
Season 1 league-stage points table
Each team played seven league matches in the inaugural edition. A win was worth two points. The top four teams progressed to the semi-finals.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | Score difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panipat Panthers | 7 | 5 | 2 | 10 | +48 |
| 2 | Hisar Heroes | 7 | 5 | 2 | 10 | +17 |
| 3 | Bhiwani Bulls | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | +88 |
| 4 | Rohtak Royals | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | +22 |
| 5 | Sonipat Stars | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -36 |
| 6 | Karnal Kings | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -12 |
| 7 | Gurugram Gurus | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | -32 |
| 8 | Faridabad Fighters | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | -95 |
This table covers the league phase only, excluding the semi-finals and final. The league website's standings include knockout results, so those totals should not be confused with the positions that determined semi-final qualification.
Score difference is the number of points a team scored minus the number it conceded. Bhiwani had the largest positive difference at +88, but Panipat and Hisar each won one more league match and finished above them on points.
Rohtak and Sonipat both won four games and collected eight points. Rohtak finished fourth with a positive score difference of +22, while Sonipat finished fifth at -36. That comparison helps explain how close the qualification picture was, even though only Rohtak went on to lift the trophy.
For Season 2, the retained players provide the first part of the picture. The 17 October auction will add the squad detail needed to assess how the defending champions, the returning challengers and the two new teams compare.
