New Kabaddi league draws up global playbook with Olympic goals

Kabaddi's global leap is getting a new push and this time it's not from a broadcaster or a federation but from an entrepreneur betting on scale, structure and sports entertainment.

- Gaurav Laghate

Sambhav Jain, founder of SJ Uplift Kabaddi Pvt. Ltd, is preparing to launch the World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL) in February-March in Dubai. The franchise-based league is backed by the International Kabaddi Federation and more than 20 national federations, and has ambitions of pushing kabaddi towards Olympic recognition.

"Getting kabaddi into the Olympics requires at least 40 to 50 active participating nations. We are starting with 30 countries already engaged and building from there," Jain told Mint. The league has secured commercial rights from the South Asian Kabaddi Federation and plans to structure WSKL not as a seasonal tournament but as a year-round league with academies, international talent scouting, and regional fan engagement.

This isn't the first time kabaddi has been dressed in modern formats and thrust on a bigger stage. But the question remains: Can a sport rooted in rural India sustain global attention beyond an opening-week buzz?