NEW DELHI: Prominent traditional sport kho kho is going the kabaddi way with a franchise based league Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) officially launched here Tuesday.
Underwritten by Amit Burman, vice-chairman of FMCG major Dabur, UKK is targeting September-October for its inaugural season.
The eight-franchise league will be managed and run under Kho Kho Sports India Pvt Ltd, a company promoted by Burman in his personal capacity.
Launched in association with the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI), Tenzing Niyogi (former sports advisory leader at EY) has been appointed CEO of the league.
This is Burman’s second initiative in the sports arena. He is also the promoter of Adda52, which lays claim to being India’s largest online poker and card games site.
The first edition of UKK will feature eight teams named after the “country’s prominent regions”. Every team will have a total of 12 members, out of which, two will be foreign players and two under 21 years of age.
There will be an initial draft of players and UKK expects to have talent from England, South Korea, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka represented in it.
“This league can be a big chance to go to the grassroots and make kho kho a career option,” Burman said.
Sharing his vision for the league, Burman opined: “Ultimate Kho Kho will be a professionally structured league with eight participating franchise teams that will be owned by a mix of corporate houses and celebrities. Each team will have a combination of players including Indian and international players from two age categories of under and above 18.”
Niyogi noted: “Kho kho is the first ‘run and chase’ format sport and with the recent success of kho kho in Khelo India Games 2018 and 2019, it further signifies the massive fan following in states of Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, Kerela, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, to name a few. The biggest differentiator is – While other sports leagues are busy developing the grassroots program, kho kho is deeply entrenched in rural India across every state with school programs. Conglomerates, business houses, brands, celebrity team owners will engage with fans from season one for the sheer recognition of the game.”
Rajeev Mehta – chairman, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) & secretary general, IOA, said at the launch event: “It is a moment of joy and pride for all of us to announce the launch of the Ultimate Kho Kho League. Our aim is to restore the glory this sport has seen in our country and we look forward to receiving the support from sports lovers from across the country.”
Sudhanshu Mittal, president, KKFI & vice president, IOA, added: “Ultimate Kho Kho is an initiative to bring the sport to the forefront and make it the most sought-after league for a home-grown sport in India. The league will witness participation of key athletes from India and other Kho Kho playing nations.”
Kho kho is played across various states including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi NCR region, amongst others.
For the uninitiated, a Kho Kho match consists of 4 innings of 9 mins each.
UKK will be played on specially developed mats in indoor stadiums. It will also have some minor tweaks in the format to make it more visually appealing for fans and television viewers. The 21-day event is set to have a double round-robin format which will see the eight teams heavily involved in competition through the season.
Kho Kho ranks as one of the most popular traditional sports in India, along with kabaddi. It is a modified form of ‘run chase’ which in its simplest form involves chasing and touching a person, requires speed and agility. It is considered one of the strongest tag-team sports.
