When the whole nation is talking of the Indian Test team debacle in England, there’s one sport that is still bringing some smiles on their faces!

Kabaddi – initiated into a league by the efforts of Star Sports (TV channel) and Mashal Sports, this small town game is now being broadcasted across the globe.

And thanks to its popularity before the kick-off, the Pro Kabaddi League attracted a whopping 22 million viewers, 10 times more than what the first match of the recently concluded Football World Cup 2014 in Brazil had garnered. Now, that’s some TRPs!

With a touch of Bollywood into it, the Pro Kabaddi League has every ingredient to be a grand success. Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and even former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, were amongst the celebs that were at the inauguration of the league event.

The presence of the stars could be one reason for its increase in the viewership but also the rich history associated with it.

India is a hub of various types of games right from ‘kho-kho’ to ‘gilli danda’ but Kabaddi takes on another form itself. Cricket in India is considered as a major sport with the likes of football, hockey, tennis etc languishing behind. The Indian Premier League might have changed the way towards cricket viewership but also paved way for other sports to take up its own version of IPL. But who could have thought of Kabaddi being amongst those sports?

Seeing its grandeur success amongst the Indian fans, actor-cum-owner of Jaipur Pink Panthers, Abhishek Bachchan is even planning a film on Kabaddi! A news report claimed that the actor is keen on making a film but is on a lookout for a good script. Besides the Pro Kabaddi League, the Sony Six channel also airs the World Kabaddi League which is ongoing in the United Kingdom. Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi have also pledged their support towards the league.

The Pro Kabaddi League might not have swept the fans of its feet, but in years to come could be one of the top contenders for the likes of IPL and also the English Premier League.

The league that has a total of eight teams – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Vishakapatnam are currently battling it out to win the first ever Pro Kabaddi League title. Going by the current table, U Mumba (Mumbai) and Jaipur Pink Panthers are leading top two sides in the table. But with games in hands, the likes of Patna Pirates and Telugu Titans can easily catch up on the front runners.

The owners of the franchises include some of who’s who of Indian industry with entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala for Mumbai, the Future Group for Kolkata, Insurekot Sports (Kotak Group) for Pune and Abhishek Bachchan for Jaipur.

Kabaddi is still in its adolescent years but in given time and money provided, the former could catch the steps of accomplishment and recognition for years to come.

The post #ProKabaddi: Nobody Would Have Imagined That This Small Town Sport Could Become A National Level Success! appeared first on Youngisthan.in.

The Pro Kabaddi League is already gaining nationwide attention since its inauguration on July 26 where it hosted its first ever game amidst all the star gaze. With the Bollywood in high attendance double it that with Sachin Tendulkar, the Pro Kabaddi League got a rousing response from the crowd on court as well as on social networking platforms. The ancient game that was played in nearby school grounds is now the talk of the town with 8 teams across the country vying for the number one spot.

So with all set and done, this year’s Pro Kabaddi League saw the Mumbai outfit – U Mumba outclass opponents and by doing so, top the charts with 18 points with 4 games played. In their opening game, the hosts outclassed Jaipur Pink Panthers, owned by none other than Bollywood celeb, Abhishek Bachchan 45-31 to kick off their campaign in an exciting note. What more, their inspirational skipper, Anup Kumar led his team from the front as they outmuscled the Jaipur side that could hardly match the opponents. That win was followed by another, this time over the Bengal Warriors 36-25. In their 3rd game, Mumbai were held to a frustrating draw by the Telugu Titans 35-35 even though the former had more tackles in their favour. But in their fourth game, U Mumba returned to winning ways with a 36-33 victory over the Patna Pirates as they Mumbai outfit reclaimed the number one spot in the league table.

Not too far away are the Bengaluru Bulls who have won all of their 3 games that they have played. In their opening encounter, Bengaluru edged out Delhi by 47-28, a heavy margin to say the least with star man Manjit Chillar amongst the points. He won a total of 10 raids in the game which saw the southern outfit snap in 23 raids to Delhi’s 15. In the next game, Bengaluru faced a tough fight against the Puneri Paltan which saw the former win 40-37. The game saw the teams go neck on neck with the stats but in the end, Bengaluru emerged as victors. The third game saw Bengaluru visit Bengal Warriors but it all seemed too easy for the 2nd placed side in the league. Manjit Chillar and company proved too hot to handle for Bengal as they wrapped up the match with 47-28.

Both the teams – U Mumba and Bengaluru Bulls are yet to face each other in this month long contest. With the tourney just taking its pace, these two sides have already shown their mettle over other sides but the real challenge lies elsewhere. So bring on the U Mumba versus Bengaluru Bulls encounter and let the sparks fly on the Kabaddi pitch.

The post #ProKabaddi: These Two Teams, U Mumba And Bengaluru Bulls Lead The Pack appeared first on Youngisthan.in.