New Delhi [India], February 1 : The Pro Wrestling League CEO, Akhil Gupta, expressed happiness with the success of the league's revival and added that the goal is not just to establish PWL as a stage but also to support the sport beyond this competition by helping India win more medals at the Olympics and improve its global ranking.
Delhi Dangal Warriors booked their place in a thrilling final of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL) 2026 after edging past Maharashtra Kesari in a pulsating Semi-final 2 at the Noida Indoor Stadium on Friday night. In a contest that swung dramatically from bout to bout, Delhi showed composure under pressure to claim a 5-4 victory and set up a mouth-watering title clash against Haryana Thunders.
Speaking to ANI, the league CEO, Akhil, said, "I was talking to Dayaan Farooqi (the league's promoter) that if we had told ourselves 90 days back that something like this would happen, we would have thought that we both were crazy. But the stage we have achieved today is great as every big name is coming to PWL. You cannot even step foot inside the stadium, it is that crowded. The media has also supported us well."
He also said that when PWL gets big, it will help raise the Indian tricolour worldwide.
"PWL is not the only stage for us. We want to support our wrestling beyond PWL. Our goal is to do something for the country. Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, we have to win more medals at the Olympics and improve our ranking," he added.
The league promoter and chairman, Dayaan Farooqi, termed the league's revival as a "journey beyond imagination".
"The foundation of this league from 2015 to 2019 was great, but it was stopped due to COVID-19. It returned after six years and people, wrestlers alike, were excited. We got wrestlers from all over the country for this. This is just the start," he said.
On the final between Delhi Dangal Warriors and Haryana Thunders, he said, "I am really excited for the finals because till the last league stage match, it was not decided who would be the four semifinalists. People watching on TV were very excited. This is such an achievement that we kept it exciting."
The final between Delhi Dangal Warriors and Haryana Thunders will take place on Sunday.