Pakistan will have its very own kabaddi league come May this year. Named the Super Kabaddi League, the competition is set to feature eight franchises.

The franchises will be based in eight cities across Pakistan – Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Gwadar and Multan Gujrat.

The eight squads for the league will be filled through a player draft which will take place in Lahore on April 23. International stars from as many as 10 countries will be in the player draft, according to organisers.

“The draft for the inaugural edition of SKL (Super Kabaddi League) will take place in Lahore on 23rd of April. Competition will be played from 2nd of May to 10th of May while the opening ceremony of the league will be held on May 1st in Lahore,” an official was quoted as saying by Geo TV.

Players from Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Kenya and Bangladesh have already confirmed their participation for the inaugural league according to a report by Geo News.

The SKL will be Pakistan’s answer to the Pro Kabaddi League which has been running successfully in neighbouring India since 2014.

Both Pakistan and India are one of the global powerhouses of the sport with the former finishing as the bronze medalist in the previous two Asian Games in 2010 and 2014.