New Delhi: With a view to take kabaddi’s footprints to unchartered markets, Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) will host PKL Melbourne Raid — a two-match exhibition — in Melbourne on Saturday, a day before the ongoing season of the league culminates in Pune with the Haryana Steelers and Patna Pirates fighting it out for the title.

PKL Melbourne Raid will comprise of four teams, three of which — PKL All Star Mavericks, PKL All Star Masters and Pro Kabaddi All Stars — will be drawn from the best of league’s talent, past and present. The fourth team will be a star-studded Australian contingent named Aussie Raiders. The first match will be played between Mavericks and Masters while All Stars and Aussie Raiders will feature in the other game.

While Australia is not exactly known for its kabaddi, Puneri Paltan’s assistant coach and former India stalwart Ajay Thakur believes the team from Down Under does have the potential to grow into a side that can be a threat to the established powerhouses.

“They may not be great at the sport technically but Aussie players are very well built and have great power. I have been observing them for some time and if they put their mind into the sport, they can reach the level of Iran, South Korea, and Pakistan,” the 38-year-old said.

“I feel this initiative is very good for the game as it is high time the sport reaches out to unexplored territories,” he added.

Besides Thakur, the event will see the likes of Pardeep Narwal, Anup Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Maninder Singh, and Sachin Tanwar in action. The Aussies will be led by Josh Kennedy, a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

“I am fairly new to this sport but traits like athleticism, power, speed and strength are certainly common in both sports. The biggest difference is how small the kabaddi mat is as opposed to a football field, but certainly, the spatial awareness and timing as well as working together on defence is really important in both sports. There are definitely a few transferable skills,” Kennedy said.