Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Booming 'super' league culture makes India's sports market sizzle

Boxing, badminton, poker, pool - every sport imaginable is rebranding in India as a "super" or "pro" franchise-based competition chasing a slice of an emerging billion-dollar entertainment market dominated by cricket's Indian Premier League.

The star-studded Twenty20 tournament has inspired a raft of glitzy new sports leagues seeking to replicate the winning formula that recently landed India's most popular sporting event a bumper $2.55 billion broadcast deal.


Earlier this month Rupert Murdoch's Star India beat rival bids from Facebook, Sony and India's Airtel to land the IPL's TV and digital rights over five years from 2018.

But long before it hit the jackpot, the IPL - famous for its pyrotechnics, cheerleaders and huge signing bonuses - had no trouble filling stadiums and attracting huge TV audiences a decade after its debut.

Its huge success has not gone unnoticed by promoters hoping that less popular sports such as kabaddi, football and boxing can make inroads in cricket-mad India.

Celebrity talent and big-name sponsors are being deployed to whip up excitement.

But Bollywood superstars are not the only investors in these nascent leagues, as foreigners are attracted to the growing Indian sports market.

British-Indian entrepreneur Bill Dosanjh has launched two separate leagues in a single year - mixed martial arts and boxing.

The Super Boxing League, promoted by British former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan, offers fans the spectacle of a US-style fight night: glamorous front-row attendees, referees in bow ties, big hits and a sense of real theatre.

It is "what Bollywood gives us," Dosanjh said, "action or romance. It does not get much more action to see two gladiators really go at it. We really believe that these fight nights that we are doing and the league format will attract the viewer."

Many pugilists put their national careers on the line signing up for the independent league.

Dosanjh was forced to strike out alone after India's national boxing federation refused to endorse the tournament.

But the recent success of Olympic medallist Vijender Singh on the pro circuit has boosted confidence that this maverick league could break new ground for the sport in India.

"I hope boxing matches up the ongoing league fever in the country, like IPL and kabaddi," said amateur boxer Deepak Tanwar Singh.

Kabaddi is a hugely-popular traditional game.

"We are getting fame and money from here and in future boxers representing India in the Olympics will go from the amateur as well as the professional circuit."

Many of these independent leagues are improving the quality and breadth of sport in India, and offering young hopefuls a platform to showcase their talent beyond the national fixation on cricket.

India won just two medals in the Rio Olympics, despite boasting a population of 1.25 billion, and most sports heroes are still born on the cricket pitch.

Sports commentator Sunil Taneja said new franchises moulded in the image of the IPL were giving rise to sports icons outside the traditional domain of cricket.

They are also generating big money.

"Before the advent of the Pro Kabaddi League there was no money at all in the sport," Taneja, who has been associated with the Pro Kabaddi League since its inception in 2014, he said.

"Now a player like Nitin Tomar is not only a household name, but earns a handsome purse."

22-year-old Tomar made history in the latest round of player auctions in the Pro League, which is in its fifth season.

The young star from a small village in India's north was scooped up for a whopping $145,000, an unprecedented signing fee in the modest world of kabaddi.

The league received a major ring of endorsement in May when Chinese smartphone giant VIVO signed a five-year sponsorship deal worth nearly $50 million.

Even less conventional sports are establishing pro leagues, bringing together India's best with the promise of big sign-up fees and prize money.

The inaugural season of the Indian Cue Masters League, or "Cue Slam", wrapped up in August, with foreign snooker players joining local pros for a strong first showing.

The "Match Indian Poker League" kicks off its first edition in October as the field for professional franchises expands ever wider.

India is on track to replicate the success of professional sports franchises in other countries, said Utpal Gandhi, a senior stakeholder in Cue Slam, the Premier Badminton League and an upcoming volleyball competition.

"In the United States this is a very large industry. India and Asia are following in its footsteps," Gandhi said.

More For You

Bumrah and Mandhana are Wisden’s cricketers of the year

Jasprit Bumrah (L) was named as the leading men’s cricketer in the world in the 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, with his compatriot Smriti Mandhana picking up the women’s award

Bumrah and Mandhana are Wisden’s cricketers of the year

INDIA paceman Jasprit Bumrah was named as the leading men’s cricketer in the world in the 2025 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, with his compatriot Smriti Mandhana picking up the women’s award.

Bumrah was given the honour by the sport’s “bible” after a stunning 2024 in which he excelled in red- as well as white-ball cricket.

Keep ReadingShow less
London Marathon 2025: Global greats gear up for London showdown

The route features some of London’s most iconic sights

iStock

London Marathon 2025: Global greats gear up for London showdown

The London Marathon returns in 2025 with a record-breaking number of participants and one of the strongest elite fields in the event’s history. All reigning Olympic and Paralympic marathon champions from the Paris 2024 Games are set to compete alongside the winners of last year’s London Marathon, making this year’s edition particularly noteworthy.

More than 56,000 runners are expected to take part, surpassing the previous mass participation record of 55,646 finishers set at the New York Marathon in 2024.

Keep ReadingShow less
KL-Rahul-Getty

This was Rahul’s third half-century of the season, and the knock took him past 5,000 runs in the IPL. (Photo: Getty Images)

KL Rahul leads Delhi to eight-wicket win over Lucknow in IPL

KL RAHUL hit an unbeaten 57 to help Delhi Capitals beat Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets in the IPL on Tuesday.

Delhi were chasing 160 and reached the target with 13 balls to spare. Rahul shared a 69-run partnership with Abishek Porel, who made 51, and remained not out to see his team through.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Cena Breaks WWE Record with 17th Championship at WrestleMania 41

John Cena raises the WWE Championship belt after his record-breaking 17th title win at WrestleMania 41

Getty Images

John Cena becomes greatest WWE champion of all time with historic 17th title

John Cena has just stepped into new territory, becoming the only wrestler in WWE history to hold 17 world championship titles. His win over Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41 was a career-defining moment that now separates him from wrestling icon Ric Flair, who held the record at 16 for decades.

The win came with help from rapper Travis Scott, whose surprise appearance tipped the match in Cena’s favour. It’s a twist that fits right into Cena’s recent shift into a heel (villain) role, a first in over 20 years. At 47, Cena’s still playing the game like he’s got something to prove, even after announcing his retirement plans for 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
virat-kohli

Kohli hit his fourth half-century of this season and shared a 103-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal.

Getty Images

Kohli, Rohit lead Bengaluru and Mumbai to IPL wins

VIRAT KOHLI and Rohit Sharma played unbeaten knocks to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians to victories in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Kohli scored 73 not out as Bengaluru chased down 158 to beat Punjab Kings by seven wickets in Mullanpur. Rohit hit 76 not out in the second match of the day, helping Mumbai secure a nine-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings.

Keep ReadingShow less