India’s ‘Pro Kabaddi League’ makes debut in Australia

MELBOURNE, 28 December, 2024: :At the end of the third day of the Boxing Day Test, on 28 December evening, I walked to the  John Cain Arena, huddled after initial hiccups from the backside (media entry) into the  multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park, famous for the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Excitement was running high, though I was thinking of my Kabaddi days in the lanes of Delhi, the ambience at the arena looked like an music concert was in the offing. Colorful flickering lights with synchronised loud music  and organisers running around with mikes and what not. Many a big screens stared at me with strong lights. Something big was about to happen.

The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) is India’s premier Kabaddi competition, blending the high-speed thrills of the traditional contact sport with the excitement of a modern league format. Launched in 2014, PKL quickly captured the hearts of millions, drawing from a rich history of Kabaddi and showcasing elite athletes in intense, high-stakes matches. Today, it stands as one of the most-watched sporting leagues in India, attracting millions of  fans each season.

Kabaddi is basically a combative sport, with seven players on each side; played for a period of 40 minutes with a 5 minutes break (20-5-20). The core idea of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent’s court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught on a single breath.

So, we were in for an exhibition match between between PKL All Star Mavericks and PKL All Star Masters and the PKL All Stars Master won with 22-19 in the first half and PKL All Stars Mavericks won with 41-39 in the second half . In between were Bollywood dances with intense speed and music. Not sure how many in the stands understood the game rules. A family

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In the main match Pro Kabaddi Stars (from India) won by 24-09 against Aussie Raiders. In the second half again the Pro Kabaddi Stars won by 44-28. The Aussie Raiders were impressive, and looked knew the game well and well trained. The Indians won. Will, someone said, the same fate could be of an Indian team at an AFL match. A family sitting in the row in front of mine, kept dancing with Bollywood music and dances. I wondered how much of it was sport and how much entertainment.

Pro Kabaddi League players for the event included Rakesh Kumar, Deepak Hooda, Ajay Thakur, Anup Kumar, Jeeva Kumar, Sandeep Narwal and Vishal Bhardwaj.

The Aussie Raider team included Josh Kennedy (captain), Dan Hannebery, Marc Murphy, Michael Hibberd, Dyson Heppell, Brett Deledio, Liam Shiels, Trent McKenzie and Billy Gowers. Campbell Brown is the coach of the Australian team.

There were many VIPs at the event including the Indian High Commissioner Mr. Gopal Baglay and Dr. Sushil Kumar Indian Consul General in Melbourne and cricketer Irfan Pathan among others.

No doubt, it was all glitter and great fun at the Kabaddi exhibition matches, but one has to wait and see how much this new game moves ahead in Australia.  The Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan had during her India visit announced that the Pro Kabaddi League will be brought to Victoria. The ‘Melbourne Raid’ was  supported and sponsored by the Victorian Government’s Visit Victoria.

 

By Neeraj Nanda

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