Leagues that could be part of Indian sports landscape in near future

After the success of the Pro Kabaddi League, these are the leagues that can be expected to begin soon.

Cricket is undoubtedly the most popular and highly-rated sport in India. The Indian Premier League (IPL) attains the most viewership in comparison to any other sport currently in India. However, India’s failure in fetching an ICC trophy since 2013 has opened up the room for other sports in the people’s hearts. 

Moreover, Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal triumph at the Summer Olympics 2020 acted as a torch-bearer and the focus of Indian sports fans is slowly but steadily shifting to other sports as well. Indians now know athletes like Avinash Sable, Murali Sreeshankar, Hima Das, Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker, Manpreet Singh, PR Sreejesh, and so on. 

With the inclination to drift towards other sports and games, let’s take a look at a few of the sports tournaments which might just make their debut or get a renewal in the coming days.

Women’s Pro Kabaddi League

The Pro Kabaddi League is the leading men’s professional tournament in India in Kabaddi sport whose inaugural edition was conducted in 2014. The latest edition, held in three legs - Bengaluru, Pune, and Hyderabad, and the finals in Mumbai, witnessed Jaipur Pink Panthers claiming the championship title. They became the champions for the second time after winning it back in the debut season of the competition. The Jaipur-based franchise prevailed over Puneri Paltan by 33 - 29. 

What astonished everyone was the viewership that the league amassed an aggregate of 222 million which increased by 17.5 per cent from the numbers collected in the year 2021. According to the data released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the last five matches, including the eliminators, qualifications, and final, garnered about 66 million viewership, a rise of 32 per cent, and consumption reaching 3.22 billion minutes.

With this, the league has become the second-most viewed Sports professional league in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Considering the growing popularity of PKL, it is essential to launch a professional Kabaddi League featuring women. And that's exactly what league owners Mashal Sports hinted towards before the PKL 9 finals. Although the Indian women’s team is as dominant on the global platform as the men’s, barely anybody knows the female representatives of the sport in the country. Kabaddi might expand to almost every corner of the nation if there were more female participants in the sport. If the opportunities become more inclusive, more talents will emerge. 

Hockey India League

When India clinched the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, many thought that the time had arrived for the resurgence of Field Hockey. However, India’s shocking exit in the Men’s Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 in the cross-over match raised eyebrows. India crashed out of the tournament in the cross-over match against lower-ranked New Zealand and failed to even reach the quarters. Post the culmination of the World Cup, long-term coach Graham Reid of Australia resigned from his position

Although there are a lot of departments that need to be addressed, a likely way to solve the persisting long-term problems can be the renewal of the Hockey India League (HIL). After the Tokyo Olympics, the viewership of Field Hockey increased tenfold. In fact, one could witness the glimpses of Birsa Munda and Kalinga Hockey Stadium at full capacity during the recently held World Cup. Not to forget to mention the fact that the fans watched the extravaganza in record numbers.

The HIL, introduced in 2013, featured a total of six teams - Dabang Mumbai, Delhi Waveriders, Kalinga Lancers, Punjab Warriors, Ranchi Rays, and Uttar Pradesh Wizards. The last edition was held in 2017 in which the Lancers emerged victorious. During the years, players like Manpreet Singh, Rupinderpal Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh, and Amit Rohidas, are a few who showed their class to the viewers and the world and consolidated their position in the main squad. The renewal of HIL can help in multiple purposes such as unearthing talented individuals, finding reliable drag-flickers who can assist the seniors, and also the proper match exposure, alongside playing with international players. 

Premier Badminton League

India’s triumph for the first time in 72 years at the Thomas Cup 2022 was nothing less than a fairytale. At present, HS Prannoy (9), Lakshya Sen (11), K Srikanth (16) in men’s singles, PV Sindhu (9) in women’s singles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (5) in the men’s doubles, and Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand (19) are the Indian shuttlers who are inside the top 20 rankings of the Badminton World Federation. 

However, the shuttlers whose rise from the ranks has been nothing short of phenomenal are Treesa and Gayatri. From reaching the semi-finals of the All England Open 2022 to winning the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, their journey has been magical. Considering the fact that Gayatri never played doubles until the lockdown speaks volumes about the kind of growth these athletes have undergone. 

With the rise of talents like Unnati Hooda, Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian, a silver medalist at the World Junior Championships 2022, Tasnim Mir, a revamped PBL might just be the need of the hour, considering India’s latest performance in the international badminton arena. The Premier Badminton League (PBL), the professional Badminton League of India, last took place in 2020. Although some talks relating to PBL making a comeback in December 2022 was also surfacing, the tournament didn't mark its return. The league, however, can play an instrumental role in providing these young athletes with the right kind of environment to prosper on the international level.

Women’s Prime Volleyball League

The Prime Volleyball League, launched by Joy Bhattacharjya, is the professional men's indoor volleyball league in India. Season two of the tournament has kickstarted with eight teams participating namely Calicut Heroes, Kochi Blue Spikers, Ahmedabad Defenders, Hyderabad Black Hawks, Chennai Blitz, Bengaluru Torpedoes, Kolkata Thunderbolt, and Mumbai Meteors.

Although the league is new and has a long way to go in terms of success, Tuhin Mishra, the managing director & co-founder of Baseline Ventures and co-promoter of RuPay Prime Volleyball League stated that if the men’s league flourishes, a women’s league can be expected. The women's league is definitely on the cards if they find a set of 70-100 players to establish a core group. 

International Premier Tennis League

The Internationa Premier Tennis League (IPTL), founded in 2013, was a top-tier exhibition tennis tournament that spanned various Asian cities like Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Singapore. The league first took place in November 2014 and wasn't held in 2017, owing to financial issues.

However, India's loss against Denmark by 2-3 in the Davis Cup 2023 has pulled them into the World Group II stage for the first time ever since the launch of the new format in 2019. As a result, there is a requirement for the revival of the elite tennis league. It not only would act towards getting India's reputation back but also be a great opportunity for emerging talents to showcase their skills to the world.

Indian Premier Handball League

With Viacom18 bagging the broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier Handball League (PHL), the country's first-ever professional men's handball league will officially be making its debut. Bluesport Entertainment Private Ltd. announced that the inaugural edition of the competition will be held from June 8 to June 25, 2023. Bluesport is also the organization responsible for overseeing the growth of the Handball sport in India.

The league seeks to ensure the grassroots development of handball in India through its collaboration with the South Asian Handball Federation and Asian Handball Federation. Exclusively licensed by the South Asian Handball Federation, the Asian Handball Federation, and the Handball Association of India, it remains the leagues and the federations' collective objective to assure the success of Indian Handball and Indian Handball Athletes on a worldwide scale and witness the National Team compete at the Olympics.