Kabaddi the game is not something that India needs to know. It has roots in the history and it speaks for itself. Kabaddi has always been an integral part of Indian sports and has always been a source of fitness. Kabaddi is being celebrated from a street to street in India. The new avatar of the game has made it shine out among other popular sports that are being played worldwide. The sport is finally receiving the mush deserved attention from around the globe. Very few knew about the game before it was made professional and televised.
For players though, it might be tough to relocate between clubs and the country team. Kabaddi is now being played internationally. The sport that has originated in India has always been a gold star for the country. Kabaddi went international for the first time with Kabaddi World Cup in 2004 and there has never been a world cup that India lost. India has won all the gold medals in both, men and women Kabaddi world cups organised so far. Following is the table of the teams that participate in the tournament and their ranking accordingly:
Kabaddi no doubt has not received as much attention and recognition as that of Cricket, Badminton, Hockey or any other sport in India and the world but certainly has changed lives of many. Surender Nada, one among the players in the national Kabaddi Team which grabbed the gold medal in February at the South Asian Games said, “Playing in the national team was difficult. Nobody knew about us, no one came to congratulate us. We won a gold medal, yet we were unknown.”
To take Kabaddi to another level, Pro-Kabaddi League was started in India and the first edition of the tournament was played in 2014. There are 8 teams that play and compete for the ultimate trophy, namely Bengal Warriors, U Mumba, Bengaluru Bulls, Telgu Titans, Dabang Delhi KC, Jaipur Pink Panthers, Puneri Paltan and Patna Pirates. Following is the list of the teams and their performances so far. The results of the second edition of 2016 that is Pro Kabaddi League 2.0 are still awaiting as the tournament will end on July 31st, 2016.
The tournament is based on the format of that of Indian Premier League. Now the PKL (Pro-Kabaddi League) will become India’s first league ever to be hosted twice a year. Not only this, it is also the first to have a special women’s league running concurrently. Sure this un-glamorous Indian sport is taking another significant turn.
How excited are you? Tell us in the comments section below with your favourite team. Let’s all shout out loud together- KABADDI KABADDI…
