The franchise that sent its captain home mid-season will not press any allegations against him, with Mashal stepping in to broker the peace.
Pawan Sehrawat and Tamil Thalaivas have formally ended the row that erupted during PKL 12, when the franchise sent its own captain home midway through the season. In coordinated statements posted on social media by the Thalaivas, the Pro Kabaddi League and Sehrawat himself, all three parties said their differences had been amicably resolved, and the franchise confirmed it would not press any allegations against the raider.
The settlement clears the air around one of the biggest names in Indian kabaddi ahead of PKL 13. Sehrawat, India’s vice-captain, has just added another gold medal with the Indian men’s team at the Asian Games 2026.
The Tamil Thalaivas statement was brief and conciliatory. “We are pleased to state that all our differences with Mr. Pawan Sehrawat during PKL Season 12 have been amicably resolved. We have decided not to press any allegations against him,” the franchise said. “We also congratulate him on his recent feat at the Asian Games 2026 and wish him all the best for his future endeavours.”
Sehrawat followed with his own message, and made a point of crediting the league’s organisers. “There were some differences with Tamil Thalaivas during PKL Season 12, which have now been amicably resolved. I thank Mashal for helping facilitate the process and reach a resolution. I look forward to continuing my PKL career,” he wrote.
The league’s official handle added a short note of its own: “We are happy to announce that all differences between Tamil Thalaivas and Pawan Sehrawat have been amicably resolved.”
The wording of the Thalaivas statement, with its good wishes for Sehrawat’s “future endeavours”, reads as a parting of ways rather than a reunion. Sehrawat’s own line about continuing his PKL career confirms only that he intends to play on in the league. Neither statement said which franchise he will represent in PKL 13.
The dispute dates back to the PKL 12 auction, where Tamil Thalaivas bought Sehrawat and handed him the captaincy. After only a few matches, he was sent home. The franchise said at the time that it had released him for disciplinary reasons, in accordance with the team’s code of conduct.
Sehrawat did not stay quiet for long. The former India captain publicly rejected every allegation against him as false, and went as far as saying he would quit kabaddi if any of them were proven correct. He also raised concerns about one particular person in the team management, who he alleged had interfered in team decisions and was the main reason behind his release.
The fallout did not end with his exit. Tamil Thalaivas failed to qualify for the playoffs, and fresh controversy followed when head coach Sanjeev Baliyan and captain Arjun Deshwal said at a press conference that they were not being given the freedom to make their own decisions.
According to Khel Now, the string of controversies reflected poorly on both the league and Mashal Sports, which is why the organisers stepped in to settle matters between the franchise and the player. Sehrawat’s public thanks to Mashal suggest the league played a direct role in bringing the two sides to an agreement.
With the allegations formally set aside, Sehrawat heads towards PKL 13 without the cloud of last season’s dispute hanging over him. He arrives on the back of Asian Games success with India, and his statement made his intention clear: he wants to keep playing in the Pro Kabaddi League. Where he lines up next season has not yet been announced.
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