Gurugram (Haryana)[India], December 20 : The kabaddi world witnessed a groundbreaking announcement as the organisers of the Global Pravasi Kabaddi League (GPKL) revealed its merger with the Indian Premier Kabaddi League (IPKL). This strategic alliance has resulted in the Global Indian Pravasi Kabaddi League (GI-PKL), where both men and women will compete under a unified league banner on the same mat size, a first in the sport's history.
The merger marks a significant leap for Kabaddi, blending GPKL's focus on women's empowerment and IPKL's expansive vision to create a globally resonant league. GI-PKL ensures representation from countries across the world, bringing together diverse talents to promote kabaddi internationally.
Speaking about the merger of the leagues on Thursda, Kanthi D Suresh, President of Holistic International Pravasi Sports Association (HIPSA) in a statement said, 'This is a strategic move to make the property stronger by having men and women together under the same banner, with a similar vision."
"It not only helps in the achievement of our larger objectives, but it also sends a message of Women empowerment when playing under the same league alongside their male counterparts, something which has never happened before.' Its an exciting concept and we look forward to executing this soon," she added.
Sohan Tusir, Director of the IPKL said that the prospect of a franchisee owner having both a men's team and a women's team is making the property attractive as he has received significant interest regarding the same. Certain celebrities are also tipped to be part of GI-PKL and look to owning two teams together.
HIPSA's past initiatives underline its commitment to Kabaddi's global growth. In 2023, GPKL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Haryana State Government to promote women's kabaddi worldwide.
Previously, HIPSA entered a 10-year MOU with the World Kabaddi Body, based in the United Kingdom, to expand the sport across continents. These efforts align with the ambitious goal of including kabaddi in the Olympics by meeting criteria such as active participation in at least 75 countries for men and 45 for women across four continents.
Karthik Dammu, actor in the three National award-winning movies, Fouja, who is also AVP for GPKL, said, 'The Championship trophy winner for GI-PKL will be a big surprise, as the entire process of declaring the champion besides the Men's winner and the Women's winner, will be a unique concept. I don't want to reveal it all now, but all I can only say is that, the GI-PKL Championship winner can be either a Men's team or a Women's team irrespective of who the respective men's and Women's team winners are.
GI-PKL will begin with 12 teams, with 6 Men and 6 women teams. A total of 66 matches would be part of the first Season. The league will spread over almost close to a month. There seems to be significant interest in the Kabaddi circles about this new concept and an eagerness to be part of the same.
The Indian Kabaddi administration continues to be in an imbroglio with the National federation being suspended by their International affiliate and also derecognized by the Sports Ministry. While the dispute continues in the Judicial courts, the new Sports governance bill likely to be introduced soon, gives a glimmer of hope to streamline sports administration in India.
The Sports regulatory body proposed as part of the bill is set to take over all cases that are currently in dispute and ensure that the Sports administration process is in sync with the International Olympic Committee and also the respective International federations that regulate the Sport at a global level.
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