Super Raids, Super Tackles, Pro Kabaddi Going All Out!

The Pro Kabaddi League, with its 12 franchises, preseason player auctions, live television coverage and smart packaging, has taken what was considered a crude, rural sport played in muddy fields into airconditioned indoor stadiums.

- Shyam Vasudevan

For the better part of India’s modern his­tory, cricket has been the dominant sport in the country, one that was intro­duced by the British during their dominion of the subcontinent. Since India’s World Cup win in 1983 and the emergence of her­oes such as Kapil Dev, televised matches — from black­and­white to colour TV in our homes and now on our smartphones and tablets — have taken the game from the stadium to the living room. And rapidly in­ creasing sponsorship, advertising and en­dorsements since the 1990s have drawn enough money for cricket to grow into the financial behemoth it is today.

Hockey, till the 1983 cricket World Cup win, had been India’s most popular sport, but cricket has surged so far ahead that the former cannot be said to be in the same vehicle, let alone taken the back seat. And with football’s ever­growing popularity, in­digenous sports have had little chance to thrive. But that may be changing.

Since 2014, kabaddi has seen a huge up­ swing in interest with the launch of a professional league designed on the lines of the massively popular Indian Premier League in cricket.

The Pro Kabaddi League, with its 12 franchises, pre­season player auctions (be­ hind closed doors, though), live television coverage and smart packaging, has taken what was considered a crude, rural sport played in muddy fields into air­conditioned indoor stadiums with interest from fans and the corporate fraternity alike.

Little­known kabaddi players have been lapped up by the franchises for big money, and the mass audiences have relished the experience. The broadcasters have added fun visual elements and introduced terms such as Super Tackle, Super Catch and All Out, making the games all the more intriguing and more attractive for the urban youth.