England national kabaddi players quit their jobs; move to India to train

These players were in Dabang Delhi’s squad for the PKL 10.

Every Indian would have watched the Lagaan movie, where the Indians without much experience of playing cricket will battle hard to compete against England, who invented the game of Cricket. It looks like England’s Kabaddi players have taken inspiration from it, this in the game of Kabaddi, India’s very own sport, known to have been played for 4000 years.

In anticipation of the Kabaddi World Cup in England next year, a group of enthusiasts from different backgrounds have united to establish the country as a rising force in the sport, which has roots in ancient India. The event in England, which is being organized by the World Kabaddi Federation (WKF), a breakaway organization, will not include national teams connected to its rival regulatory body, the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF).

It has provided an opportunity for a large number of kabaddi players in England. These international athletes manage to fit in their games between day jobs and other commitments, despite the sport offering little in the way of compensation or recognition. Li, a tech manager for a company, and Yuvraj Pandeya, an accountant have taken it to the next level as they resigned their professions completely to follow their passion overseas.

This decision paid off, as they were signed by Dabang Delhi KC in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Li and Pandeya started training in India in November 2022. Their first experience hasn’t been a good one as they lost every game during their inaugural campaign in the Bangabandhu Cup, an invitational competition held in Bangladesh.

England finished fourth in their group behind hosts Bangladesh, Iraq, and Nepal in the previous year’s competition after winning two games against Poland and Argentina. However, development has been sluggish as they struggle to find a team to practice together. Li and Pandeya have been practicing in India and they do video logs to teach their fellow teammates in England.

Some of the English players have found the similarities between Kabaddi and Rugby. Considering both are contact sports and some of the holds are the same, it doesn’t take too long for them to understand the game. Although both did not play in any PKL matches this season, they expressed gratitude for the experience they had received from the Indian league and expressed hope that other players would move overseas to train under the best of facilities for the sport.

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