The third grand edition of the popular Pro Wrestling League (PWL) gets under way in New Delhi on Tuesday January 9. PWL 2018 is set to be grander for the fact that star Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar is finally set to compete for the first time in the IPL and ISL style amateur wrestling tournament in India.
Delhi Sultans take on Mumbai Maharathi in the first match of the tournament.
Greco-roman wrestling makes its debut for the first time this season, alongside the usual freestyle wrestling. Apart from Sushil, who was bought by Delhi Sultans for a whopping Rs 55 lakh, the likes of Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, Geeta Phogat, Babita Phogat, remain the star attractions.
All set for @Official_PWL . Thrilled to be a part of #DelhiSultan team. Watch me live today at Siri Fort Auditorium complex from 5:00PM #PWL3
— Sushil Kumar (@WrestlerSushil) January 9, 2018
It has been a splendid last few months for Sushil, entering the tournament. The 34-year-old won the coveted gold medal in the Senior Wrestling Nationals in November last year. Also, he won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Championships in December.
The ending of 2017 didn't turn out as smooth as he would have wanted to be. Sushil did display his incredible wrestling skills to qualify for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) after defeating Jitender Kumar in the 74kg weight category during the qualification trials, but an off-the-mat brawl between his and wrestler Parveen Rana's supporters took away all the sheen from his win.
Read all about the incident here.
The list of players for the opening match of PWL 2018
| Weight category | Delhi Sultans | Mumbai Maharathi |
| 57 kg (M) | Sandeep Tomar | Andrei Yatsenco |
| 65 kg (M) | Haji Aliyev | Soslan Ramonov |
| 74 kg (M) | Sushil Kumar | Virdev Gulia |
| 92 kg (M) | Alvaro Aslan | Satyavrat Kadian |
| 125 kg (M) | Hitendra | Satyendra |
| 50 kg (W) | Maroi Mizen | Seema |
| 57 kg (W) | Sangeeta Phogat | Odunayo Folasade |
| 62 kg (W) | Monia | Sakshi Malik |
| 76 kg (W) | Samar Amer Humza | Cynthia |
Match schedule
Date: January 9
Time: 6:50 pm IST
Venue: Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi
Live on TV: Sony ESPN/HD
Online streaming: Sony Liv
Live updates: Twitter
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!['He is done with the team now' : Angry Virat Kohli slams the bat, kicks the ground, yells at RCB team as SRH smashes runs [reactions]](https://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/796956/he-done-team-now-angry-virat-kohli-slams-bat-kicks-ground-yells-rcb-team-srh-smashes.jpg?w=220&h=135)
