‘Bengaluru Bulls’ in high demand!
The Pro-Kabaddi league has caught the fancy of local fans
By : soumashree sarkar
Update: 2015-07-30 00:04 GMT
From the pages of the Mahabharata to the parking lot of your apartment, the one game that requires nothing but your friends and a will to hold your breath for as long as it takes, is kabaddi.
With the age of leagues ushering in the new social media savvy sports viewer, it is little surprise than that the second edition of the Pro-Kabaddi League has got off to a roaring start. Over 60 matches played over 37 days across eight cities, the forgotten but exciting sport of kabaddi will rule the television screen. This season, Bengaluru’s sports fans are channeling their energy towards their home team – the Bengaluru Bulls.
Not only did Amitabh Bachchan sing the national anthem at the opening ceremony of the PKL, the star turn out of Shah Rukh, Aishwarya and Aamir Khan has done volumes to boost the glamour of India ‘s oldest game. Sandalwood actress Akshara Gowda is one of those who wish more celebrities would come forward. She says, “I am definitely going to make it a point to watch the Bulls’ games. So what if we lost day before to the Panthers? It’s a game and a win or a loss is only second to the enjoyment of the game!”
Led by the fierce Manjit Chillar, the third place Bengaluru Bulls have a squad of twelve who train under coach Randhir Singh. Arpit Sadhoo, who trains as an amateur kabaddi defender at one of the city kabaddi clubs is in awe of the glitz that has surrounded kabaddi all of a sudden. The 19 year old says, “My friends have all ‘liked’ the facebook page of the Bulls. Ask anyone who Ajay Thakur is and they’ll tell you that he is the raider of the home team. But ask them to name a national kabaddi team raider and they are lost for words. I am not bitter about the sudden burst of kabaddi enthusiasm, though. Players like me can only benefit from it.”
However, while football and cricket leagues have public screenings at pubs and evening venues, kabaddi is still looking for its niche. Sports enthusiast and game developer Ankit Patel plays down the capacity of the sport reaching a home audience. He says, “Kabaddi is a game you watch with friends, where you have to be present to feel the energy. Watching it on tv is not the same. The camera angles do not do justice.”