The sport of kabaddi is one of India’s crown jewels. Having originated in this great land, the sport today is gaining in popularity across the globe.Till recently, India had an iron grip over the Asian Games gold medal in kabaddi, widely considered as the pinnacle of the sport. A proud record of seven straight men’s gold and two women’s triumphs were rudely disrupted in Jakarta last year.
Like all sport-loving citizens of the country, I too cringed a little then, and told myself at that point that whatever I could do to get Indian kabaddi back to the top, I would.Which is why when the organisers of the Indo-International Premier Kabaddi League (IPKL) approached me for support, I readily agreed. I felt they had the right vision and intentions to discover the best talent from each corner of the country and give them a global platform to showcase their skills.
What enthused me further were two aspects of sport that IPKL had thought of very early in their journey: importance of both fans and players. IPKL clearly states that its teams will put a premium on incorporating local talent and have norms that will enable fans to have a solid local connect. This very natural aspect of global sporting success, in my humble opinion, has been largely ignored by the new maze of sporting leagues, which have emerged all around.
But what really blew my mind was the fact that IPKL will be distributing a share of its revenue amongst players. This will not only give players that extra incentive to produce their best every time, but also send out a signal that player welfare is top priority. I strongly believe that in all sports other than cricket in this country, we need more and more big domestic competitions, which are televised live.
That helps selectors have a direct sight of a much larger talent pool, which in turn can help select the best Indian team. So many players have made it to the Indian team through IPL. And now through many regional televised T20 competitions also, many new talents are being discovered. For India to regain supremacy in Asian kabaddi, the sport too needs an increase in its talent pool. That is where I believe IPKL can come in very handy. PMG