PKL 2018 | Is Pro Kabaddi League independent of celebrities now?

10/07/2018

Since the inception of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in 2014, the game of kabaddi and its popularity has caught on like wildfire in India and abroad. The league, which in the first season looked for film stars to attract the crowd, has now grown as one of the most successful leagues in the country.

After the huge success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), other sports have started their own leagues like Indian Super League (ISL), Hockey India League (HIL), Premier Badminton League (PBL). But the most popular of all these leagues have been the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) which started in 2014, the same year when the much-anticipated ISL also kicked off. Sports management company, Mashal Sports came up with the idea of a franchise-based league for India’s very own game and the journey began from then. Star Sports bagged the broadcasting rights for the league and a game which was in oblivion for most parts of its history in India was now a prime-time delight for the Indian sports lovers.

PKL brought the game of kabaddi to indoor stadiums from the muddy fields in Indian villages. The game is now played on the mat with slight changes in the rules and regulations to make it far more competitive and interesting. To make the league popular among common Indian public, the organisers took the same path as IPL by integrating celebrities in the league for promotion. Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan took the ownership of the Jaipur Pink Panthers team which clinched the title in the opening season of the league by defeating the Mumbai-based franchise which is owned by well-known Bollywood producer Ronnie Screwvala. The involvement of Abhishek and Screwvala with these two teams attracted their friends from the film industry to come and watch the game live and support their respective teams at the venues which also generated a lot of interest among the Indian public about the league and kept people glued to their TV sets during the PKL games in the evening.

The official broadcasters, Star started its marketing campaign well before the commencement of the league and those TV ads involved famous Bollywood personalities. Film stars used the league as a platform for the promotion of their new films and PKL cashed in their by inviting the actors to recite the Indian national anthem before the beginning of every game. PKL saw Hrithik Roshan, Sonakshi Sinha, Irrfan Khan, and many others singing the national anthem and superstars Amir Khan and Shahrukh Khan along with Aishwarya Rai cheering for the Jaipur team. Not only the film personalities but famous Indian sportspersons were also invited for the same and the list includes champion boxer Vijender Singh, shuttle star PV Sindhu, batswoman Mithali Raj etc. The theme song for the second season, titled ‘Le Panga’ was sung by Amitabh Bachchan and again was a huge hit on national television.

In another important development last year, Tamil Thailavas, which is co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar, made its PKL debut. The association of the Indian batting legend made the league far more popular in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, which has now got a team of its own in the league. The involvement of the big names in the league has been instrumental in its success over the years. It is because of these famous personalities the Indian crowd got attracted towards PKL in the first few seasons.

With the change in time, the league has grown in these six years. It is now one of the most successful sporting leagues in the country and the players have become household names because of the popularity among the Indian audience. The common Indian public that was totally unaware of the happenings on the kabaddi circuit now takes interest in knowing more about the national team, Indian players and their performance during various international events.

Players like Rakesh Kumar, Anup Kumar, Ajay Thakur, Rahul Chaudhuri, Pardeep Narwal and others are now getting the same treatment as the international cricketers. They are now identified by the Indian youth wherever they go and many of the youngsters idolize them. Not only Indian fans, sports fans now know more about foreign kabaddi players like Jang Kun Lee from Korea and Meraj Sheykh from Iran. They have become the star attraction of the league which was once considered as a sport which is only limited to the rural areas of the country.

Former India captain and one of the finest kabaddi players Anup said, Anup Kumar, “I made my Indian team debut in 2006. That time, there was barely any recognition, no one knew about me or the sport. Since PKL began, people have come to know what sort of sport kabaddi is, they recognise us. That I've been able to carve my own identity is a very big achievement for me."

Not only the players, but the Indian sports fans are now able to identify players according to their outrageous and authentic moves like Jasvir Singh’s Scorpion Kick, Anup’s Toe Touch, Pardeep Narwal’s ‘Dubki’, Rohit Kumar’s frog jump and many others. This shows the growth of the sport and the increase in popularity of the players among common Indian public.

Again, PKL’s success also led to the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 which was played after a gap of seven years and India lifted the trophy in Ahmedabad. This tournament was again a huge success which saw 12 teams participating from all around the globe and the sport from the Indian soil was being televised in other countries. The Indians cheered the Indian team then and they did the same when India won the Kabaddi Masters earlier this year in Dubai. The Indian men’s team also faced the wrath of the fans when it lost to Iran in the semi-finals of Asian Games in August. These are the things which suggest that the game has now become big and it is the best thing to happen thanks to the Pro Kabaddi League. Now it is all about kabaddi and kabaddi players and nothing else.

The league, which was started with eight teams, now has 12 teams participating in a three-month-long tournament. This year 13 Indian cities will host the PKL matches which makes it a pan-India affair. Apart from the men’s tournament, the organisers are also trying to find out time for the women’s and children’s games during the PKL season which begins from today in Chennai.

With the increase in the viewership, Kabaddi is far more popular now than it was in 2014. People now understand the game, they know the rules and regulations. The sport-loving Indians are aware of what India is doing in world kabaddi now. They celebrate India’s win and they suffer heartbreak whenever the team fails to live up to their expectations. It’s now on the team and the players who are drawing the crowd and their skills will ensure the increase in popularity of the league and the game as a whole. In 2018, PKL is all about Kabaddi, kabaddi players and their performance on the mat rather than film-stars and the promotion or marketing strategies by them.

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PKL 2018 | Is Pro Kabaddi League independent of celebrities now?

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