Prime Volleyball League, Season II, kicks off on Saturday with defending champions, the Kolkata Thunderbolts, taking on Bengaluru Torpedoes in the opening match in Bangalore.

Apart from the seven teams which were seen in action in the inaugural season last year — Kolkata Thunderbolts, Kochi Blue Spikers, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Calicut Heros, Ahmedabad Defenders, Chennai Blitz and Bengaluru Torpedoes — an eighth team, the Mumbai Meteors, has joined the league.

Unlike last year when, thanks to the pandemic, the tournament was played behind locked doors and in a bio-bubble in Hyderabad, this time it will be open to the audience and will be played over three venues — Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi.

What has added extra cheer to the players is the news that India will host the Volleyball Club World Championship in December, giving them a chance to compete on the international stage, rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the business. Plus a tie-up with Volleyball World gives them exposure like never before. Knowing that there are scouts around to pick them up for the bigger stage has the players extra-motivated.

“Yes, the second season is coming in a big, big way,” Joy Bhattacharjya, the CEO of Prime Volleyball League, told The Telegraph on Friday.

“All the eight teams are evenly placed, all looking pretty sharp. The competition will be tough and it will be intangibles like luck and injuries which will probably make the difference.” The excitement is palpable in the tone of Vinit Kumar, an outside hitter for the Thunderbolts. He feels live telecast last season has done much to bring volleyball into people’s homes.

“The game and the players today are much better known than they were a year back and what an excellent platform for youngsters to play with stalwarts of the country and abroad.”

Sumedh Patodia, Thunderbolts’ team director, said: “After spending the last 10 months in the grassroots of Bengal, we finally feel like we belong. “Therefore, our war cry has changed from Khelbe Bangla Jitbe Bangla to Ebaar Aabaar Jitbe Bangla.”

With a lot of raw talent, matches over three cities, streaming on Volleyball World and the upcoming Club World Championship, the league has taken a giant leap forward. And that after only one season.

Matches to be telecast live on Sony Sports network