The movement set off by the IPL has caught on in India, with 15+ leagues being launched over the last decade and a half. What will it take for them to survive and build sustainable brands over the long term?
In 2014, when news of the first ever Pro Kabaddi league (PKL), promoted by industrialist Anand Mahindra and his brother-in-law and sports presenter Charu Sharma, reached the offices of its broadcaster Star Sports, it was received with oodles of scepticism. “What next? A league for gilli-danda,” came the snarky refrain from some of the staff.
Back then, Suhail Chandhok, a former cricketer, was working with Star. “I put my hands up and said I’d like to commentate for this,” says Chandhok. “I hadn’t done commentary ever and, at that point, I didn’t even remember how many players were on either side of a kabaddi team. But I saw it as an opportunity to get my foot in the door as a commentator.”