| Countries |  India |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. |
| First edition | 2018 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Current champion | Puneri Ustaad |
Zee Maharashtra Kusti Dangal (ZMKD) is a professional wrestling league in India, launched on 2 November 2018 and broadcasting on Zee Talkies.[1][2] Zee Talkies announced the tournament on 12 January 2018 in Mumbai.[3]
Currently, with six teams, each team plays each other twice in the league phase. At the conclusion of the league stage, the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semifinal matches will move onto the final to play the ZMKD final match, where the winner will be crowned the Zee Maharashtra Kusti Dangal champions.[4][5][6]
The six teams consist of 3 celebrities and 3 dignitaries from different fields, and tournament matches will be held at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. The first draft event of players for the 6 teams was held on 19 October 2018 in Mumbai.[7][8][9]
Following the player draft, the names of the final team and their players were announced at the press conference.[10] Swwapnil Joshi (Vidharbhache Wagh), Sai Tamhankar (Kolhapuri Mavle), Nagraj Manjule (Veer Marathwada), Purshottam Jadhav (Yashwant Satara), Rajesh Dake (Mumbai Astra) and Shantaram Manve & Paritosh Painter (Puneri Ustaad) own six teams in the wrestling tournament.[11][12][13]
| Teams | Owner(s) |
|---|---|
| Vidarbhache Wagh | Swwapnil Joshi[14] |
| Kolhapuri Mavle | Sai Tamhankar[15][16] |
| Veer Marathwada | Nagraj Manjule |
| Yashwant Satara | Purshottam Jadhav |
| Mumbai Astra | Rajesh Dake[17] |
| Puneri Ustaad | Shantaram Manve & Paritosh Painter |
Prize money for the winner of season 1 will be ₹ 50 Lakh. The first and second runners-up will be awarded ₹ 30 lakh and ₹ 20 lakh respectively.[18]
