PWL 2026 Season 5 Begins with Punjab Royals vs UP Dominators

“Being player-centric comes with difficulties in securing sponsors…I completely agree. We are setting up the commercial side, but our primary focus remains on the players, because we want to see 'Jana Gana Mana', the Indian national anthem, on the Olympic podium, and we are working towards that goal. Securing sponsors is a challenge, but we have packaged the entire concept of PWL as a very lucrative opportunity for sponsors as well. Campa has already been onboarded as a sponsor, and we are planning to bring in more sponsors very soon. We are very positive about this side of the business because wrestling is a major mainstream sport. Many sponsors from industries like steel and cement are very interested in coming on board because they want to show, first, their support for the game as an Olympic sport, and second, their association with a sport that represents strength and stamina. Sponsors connected to energy, strength, and stamina are extremely excited to be part of this journey.”

“The first rule is the Toss rule. Earlier, with the toss, one team could eliminate one bout. Because of this, the marquee player of the opposing team used to get eliminated. So now onwards, the toss will still be there, but there will be no blocking of any weight category. Instead, we have made it more interesting by allowing the winning captain of the toss to decide the order of the bouts. This is the first change. The second change is in the game rules. Earlier, it was the 3–1–3 rule, which means a three-minute bout, then a one-and-a-half-minute break, and then another three-minute bout. Now, the order will remain the same, but the last one minute will be known as the power minute, similar to a power play in cricket. Whatever is scored in that last one minute will be doubled. So, till the very end, you do not know who is winning. This will make the game very exciting and will also test the stamina of the athletes. These are the two changes that will make PWL better.”