A little over two years after yet one more IPL-templated league was first announced, the Premier Handball League has confirmed a launch date for its inaugural season with a new official license holder as well as broadcast partner.
License holder Bluesport Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. announced Monday that Viacom18 has secured media rights for the inaugural season of the Premier Handball League (PHL).
Viacom18 will provide multi-platform coverage on JioCinema, Sports 18-1 (HD & SD) and Sports 18 Khel.
The inaugural season of the Premier Handball League is set to kick off on 8th June and will run till 25th June.
However, it bears noting that the launch announcement was silent on team owners or sponsors. So one has to assume that Bluesport Entertainment will be promoters of not just the league, but also all the teams and could well be underwriting all costs (including broadcast), for PHL’s debut edition.
The International Handball Federation has recognised India as the next big destination for Handball. To amplify the efforts of Bluesport Entertainment, Handball Association India, and South Asian Handball Federation, Viacom18 will showcase the Premier Handball League at prime time from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm.
The Premier Handball League is pitched as the first professional handball league in India. The first-of-its-kind competition is associated with the South Asian Handball Federation and backed by the Asian Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation.
The first season will see six teams go up against each other in round-robin format consisting of 30 matches, followed by three knockout matches to determine the ultimate champion. The 33 matches will be spread over 18 days, and each team will have a minimum of 10 matches. Each squad will consist of 17 players, made up of 14 Indian players and three foreigners.
Widely recognised as the fastest Olympic Sport, Handball has a strong grassroots presence in India. Handball’s popularity at the grassroots level is due to the tireless efforts of the Handball Association India. They have ensured that the national team’s ranking at the global level has been consistently rising.
Abhinav Banthia, president of Bluesport, speaking on the same, said, “India is growing exponentially as a sporting nation. Handball has a very strong presence in the country, especially at the grassroots level. Our thought behind the Premier Handball League was to help utilise the popularity of the sport by giving it a platform that will amplify sports traction in India. We are glad to onboard Viacom18 as the official broadcast partner, as we believe they will help us package this competition ingeniously so that this unique league becomes relatable for fans. Overall, we believe if you package speed, strength, stamina, agility, technical precision, skill, teamwork and fast-paced action, you come to Handball, and a league for Handball will turn out to be the leading indoor sports league in this country very soon.”
Dr. Anandeshwar Pandey, secretary general of the South Asian Handball Federation, spoke about how the league can revolutionise the sport of Handball in India. He said, “The Premier Handball League will provide the much-needed push Indian Handball has needed for years. It will also help to direct the spotlight on Handball not only in India, but all of South Asia, which I am sure will help boost participation and popularity of the sport. The Premier Handball League has all the necessary elements to be a highly successful competition, especially now that they have announced Viacom18 as a broadcast partner. I am sure the league will grow rapidly as it is set to produce the star athletes of tomorrow for Indian fans to support.”
For the record, when first announced in December 2020, the league’s official license holder was PHL India Sports Private Limited and broadcast partner was Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN).
