Kabaddi gets a fresh treatment with the Inauguration of Pro Kabaddi League in India.
The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is an initiative which has been taken over and is presently supervised by Mashal Sports Managing Director Charu Sharma. The first edition of the tournament kick started on 26th July 2014 consisting of eight teams with players from all across the globe.
Kabaddi has its roots from Australian rules of football. Some of the familiar feats of the game included a grass pitch, a ball and the intermittent punch-up. But the unique thing about Kabaddi is the fact that it is played on dusty grounds of India where players lung forward and dive in an all barefoot format. The players wear only shorts which is another facet to look forward from this extraordinary game.
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Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi
It has become so popular that right now we are seeing full contracted players across the globe chanting “Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi” all across the play grounds in UK. Till now Indians have a great fascination for Kabaddi and it is duly accepted as a national sport by millions in India especially Tamil Nadu and Punjab. But despite the fact that it requires no equipments there is still a part of population in India that is not aware of its potential due to the popularity of sports like Cricket.
The 1990 Asian Games gave a new dimension to Kabaddi by making it accessible on mat. This was a great initiative and was highly accepted by people in India especially the sport lovers of Kabaddi. But it was in the year 2006 Doha that Charu Sharma got the idea of launching a Kabaddi tournament in India and that was the beginning of the journey for Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).
“So many people came up to me and said, “The tickets are sold out, we can’t get in, it’s such a great watch, tell me more.” I knew right then it had something very special, and I wondered why wasn’t it big in our own land. Charu Sharma
In about eight years time his plans have been executed perfectly and Kabaddi has earned wider acceptance amongst audiences. There are eight teams that are participating currently across India playing round leagues competing in different cities over six weeks period.
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Accessible For All Society
On the inaugural night many VIP personalities came to the party encompassing Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Sachin Tendulkar. One of the major highlights of this tournament is the fact that the ticket prices are only 200 Rs. which means that even middle class and lower middle class person and go and enjoy the matches without worrying about the extravagant expenses of the tickets.
Pro Kabaddi has taken lot of stimulation from Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Charu Sharma, “We’re not in the same situation as cricket, we’re not that ostentatious and we do not have that kind of cash says Mr Charu. ”We’re being indicted of glamorizing it a little bit and we’re guilty – and why shouldn’t we be, since most sports could make use of a bit of that.”
“Kabaddi is the ultimate blend of power, agility and tactics. It is one of India’s exclusive treasures and I am glad that we are able to present it an international stage in such an exciting format. Piyush Panday Ogilvy & Mather Executive Chairman and Creative Director South Asia
Pro Kabaddi League consists of robust marketing tactics. Each franchisee will not only have their team colors and star players but also generate their own fan following with inventive media outreach strategies. Sports aficionados, in India and across the world, can keep check of the matches, scores, and players as well as participate in the game through social media platforms such as the league’s website www.prokabaddi.com, Twitter handle @prokabaddi and Pro Kabaddi Facebook page.
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India’s National Kabaddi Captain
It needs to be observed that Rakesh Kumar, India’s national Kabaddi captain received the maximum booty of 12.80 lakhs by Patna franchise and he is the player to look out for in this tournament. Rakesh Kumar debuted in the year 2003 for the Indian national team. He has won several medals at the national level. Apart from that he is one of the most prominent players in Indian Kabaddi who has won gold medals at World Cups in the year 2004 and 2007. He has also won gold medals at Asian games in the year 2006 and 2010.
Some of the other prominent awards that he has received include South Asian Games where he won medal in the year 2006 and 2010 and Asian Indoor games in the year 2007, 2009 and 2013. He is the most promising talent to come up in recent times and I would not be surprised if he emerges as the most talented individual in Pro Kabaddi League.
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