5 popular Indian sportspersons who appeared on Bigg Boss ft. Mary Kom

Some of India’s biggest stars have featured in the Salman Khan-hosted reality TV show.

Bigg Boss has never limited itself to actors and influencers. Since its first season back in 2006, based on the Dutch Big Brother format, the show has locked a rotating cast of celebrities inside a camera-filled house, cut off from the outside world, where they compete in tasks and face weekly public eviction votes.

Popular Indian actor Salman Khan began hosting the show from the fourth season, and its most recent edition began on September 6, 2026. Over the years, several well-known Indian sportspersons have stepped inside the house. Here’s a look at some of the most memorable ones.

Here are the famous Indian sportspersons who entered Bigg Boss

Vinod Kambli – Bigg Boss Season 3

Vinod Kambli was once considered one of the most naturally gifted batters of his generation, coming up through the same Mumbai cricket system as Sachin Tendulkar and sharing a famous unbroken 664-run schoolboy partnership with him.

His international career, though talented, never quite matched that early promise. Kambli entered Bigg Boss Season 3 in 2009 as a wildcard, joining on Day 33, but his stay was short-lived as he was evicted on Day 47 due to fewer votes.

His time in the house was marked by candid, emotional conversations that gave viewers a rare, unfiltered look at his personality away from cricket.

The Great Khali – Bigg Boss Season 4

Dalip Singh Rana, popularly known as The Great Khali, made history in WWE as the first wrestler of Indian origin to win the World Heavyweight Championship, back in 2007.

His towering frame and gentle, soft-spoken demeanour outside the ring made him an unlikely but beloved figure when he entered Bigg Boss Season 4 in 2010.

He went all the way to the final and finished as the runner-up, losing to renowned television actress Shweta Tiwari.

Navjot Singh Sidhu – Bigg Boss Season 6

Before he became known for his commentary one-liners and later his political career, Navjot Singh Sidhu was a flamboyant opening batter for India through the 1980s and 90s.

He entered Bigg Boss 6 in 2012, and his journey on the show focused more on his natural charm and witty demeanour than on any dramatic storyline.

He was forced to make a voluntary exit midway due to political commitments, as he was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the time and had to feature in the party’s campaign in the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections.

Sreesanth – Bigg Boss Season 12

Sreesanth was part of two of Indian cricket’s biggest triumphs, the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, and famously took the winning catch in the 2007 final. His career later ended in controversy after a lifetime ban from the BCCI over a spot-fixing scandal, a ban he has since had overturned.

In 2018, he entered Bigg Boss 12 hoping to change public perception of him, and it worked out about as well as it could have.

Known for his emotional outbursts and fiery clashes with other contestants, he became one of the season’s most loved contestants and finished as the first runner-up, losing the final to actress Dipika Kakar.

Mary Kom – Bigg Boss Season 20

Mary Kom is one of the biggest names ever to walk into the Bigg Boss house. The boxing legend is a six-time world champion and a London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. She is also the first Indian female boxer to win a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games.

She added a Commonwealth Games gold in 2018. Her list of honours off the ring includes the Arjuna Award, the Khel Ratna, and India’s three highest civilian awards, the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.

This marks her first reality television stint, and with the season still underway, it remains to be seen how well she adapts to the new environment.

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