SAMBHAV JAIN, SJ Uplift Kabaddi founder, is a sports entrepreneur with experience across sports marketing, broadcast, and talent management. With over 15 years of experience in the sports industry, he has successfully executed more than 100 leagues and tournaments across India.
At the centre of his work today is the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL), an indigenous league he has nurtured into a growing success story. By combining a self-funded model with strong franchise and sponsor partnerships, Jain has managed to create a commercially viable property that celebrates kabaddi while giving players from smaller towns the chance to shine.
In an extended conversation, Jain spoke with Piyush Dhembare about his entrepreneurial journey, the economics of running a league, the rise of regional sports in India, and even his ventures to promote cricket in Russia. His insights shed light on both the challenges and the opportunities of building sports properties in a competitive ecosystem.
EDITED EXCERPTS:
Which project do you feel most proud of, and why?
Kabaddi is the closest. Through the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL), I feel proud that we’ve been able to give the sport a strong platform and create opportunities for players. The response we’ve received for UPKL has been phenomenal, which makes it even more special.
How did you manage to fund the UPKL?
We did not raise any funding. We completely used our own money as seed capital. The rest came from franchise fees and sponsorships.
How do you share the revenue with franchises?
Forty per cent of the profit goes to the franchises and sixty per cent stays with us. Additionally, the franchises also have their own sponsors.
From a business standpoint, what makes kabaddi a commercially viable sport for investors and sponsors?
The viewership has really gone up for kabaddi, and every match had a strong stadium audience. For last season’s final of UPKL, we actually had to send people back because the venue was full.
At the end of the day, this is also business. Where do your sports ventures stand in terms of sustainability?
We’ve seen a great response, and our franchise owners and sponsors are getting ROI. They’re happy with partnering with UPKL, and we hope to achieve even greater success.
What role do you think media and storytelling play in making indigenous sports aspirational?
They play a crucial role. If you look at cricket, media support has been massive. Whenever they back something, it tends to grow big. We are also receiving good response from media for our UPKL.