The Pro Wrestling League (PWL) will return to action after seven years, with the 2026 edition scheduled at the Noida Indoor Stadium, Uttar Pradesh, from January 15. The 17-day competition will feature six teams, each comprising nine wrestlers. Every squad will include four women across the 53 kg, 57 kg, 62 kg and 76 kg categories, with five Indian and four foreign competitors in each roster.
League organisers said the response to the comeback edition has been “quietly encouraging”, with more than 300 wrestlers from over 20 countries registering for the auction. The applicant pool includes Olympic medallists, World Championships finalists, and leading Indian performers, competing for just 54 available team spots.
Notably, about 44% of all scheduled bouts will feature women, a rare gender-equity benchmark in Indian professional sport. League officials claimed that this structure reflects a deliberate push to place women athletes at the centre of the competition rather than on its margins.
With experienced international names set to share the mat with India’s rising wrestlers, organisers expect PWL 2026 to emerge as one of the biggest events of the sporting calendar. Team announcements, trophy launch, auction dates and fan engagement activities will be revealed in the coming weeks. The previous edition was held in 2019 before the pandemic halted the league.