Jaipur, Jan 15 (IANS): In a dazzling celebration of athleticism and grit, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) reached a historic milestone of its 1000th match, promising a night of unparalleled excitement and intensity here at Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Monday.

As the echoes of cheers reverberate through the arena, the legends of the game -- Anup Kumar, Manjeet Chillar, Ajay Thakur, Rishank Devadiga and Dharmraj Cheralathan, converge on this momentous evening to witness historic magic as the contest between Bengal Warriors and Bengaluru Bulls officially marked the 1000th match of the league.

The PKL felicitated five legends of the sport ahead of the historic match as the kabaddi stalwarts received a customised memento for their incredible contribution to the league over the last 10 seasons.

As the kabaddi excitement unfolded, fans immersed themselves in the fervour, and the stadium resounded with a rising chorus of enthusiastic cheers.

Speaking about the journey of PKL from Match 1 to Match 1000, Dharmraj said: "The Pro Kabaddi League's journey has been magnificent. Many lives have changed because of the Pro Kabaddi League and many lives will change in the future as well. I hope that the players become even more fitter in the future and have very long careers."

Manjeet added that he had plans to play in the tenth season as well: "Ajay had told me that we would play the tenth season, but he retired before me. Had he continued to play then we would have probably played in this season. I hope that we complete one lakh Pro Kabaddi League matches one day then I'll be even happier. I wish that kabaddi becomes the number one sport in terms of viewership in the future."

Anup further highlighted how the game has changed since the first-ever PKL match in 2014: "The game has become very fast now. And now the coaches have a lot of players to choose from in their teams. There's a backup for each of the players in each of the teams in the Pro Kabaddi League. And the players get a lot of opportunities to show their mettle as well."

Speaking on the innovative rules implemented in the PKL over the years, Ajay commended the 30-second raid rule citing that it is quite beneficial for the kabaddi as it is an injury-prone game.

"The 30-second raid rule has been a great innovation in the game. Kabaddi is an injury-prone game so it's really good that that raids have a time limit of 30 seconds. If there was no time limit then the players wouldn't be able to have long careers."

Meanwhile, Rishank expressed his excitement ahead of the 1000th PKL match, saying: "The game has grown leaps and bounds through PKL over the last 10 seasons. It's been nice to be on the journey with PKL right from Season 1."

The Bengal Warriors are taking on the Bengaluru Bulls in the 1000th PKL match, while, the Jaipur Pink Panthers will face off against U Mumba in the second match of the day.