Mumbai: Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) season eight is set to return on 22 December, announced the organiser Mashal Sports.

The player auctions for the season were conducted on 29-31 August. Keeping in mind the safety and health of players and stakeholders, this year the league will be held without spectators, at a single venue in Bengaluru, moving away from the traditional caravan format.

Season eight of Vivo PKL will be broadcasted live on Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar.

“We are very privileged that Season 8 of the Vivo Pro Kabaddi League will be hosted in Karnataka, especially as this state is a very significant geography for kabaddi and PKL fans in India,” said Vivo Pro Kabaddi League league commissioner and Mashal Sports chief executive officer Anupam Goswami. “Bengaluru has all the facilities for the conduct of big competitive sports events with best safety practices, and we look forward to demonstrating this with PKL Season 8.”

The league will implement protocols to comply with government regulations and guidelines and will work with specialized safety agencies to implement stringent safety practices and create a bio–secure bubble, a first for any professional indoor contact sports league in India.

“Kabaddi is a genuine indigenous sport of India and very popular in Karnataka. We welcome and support the conduct of forthcoming Pro Kabaddi Season 8 in our state,” said Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai.