Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi

In 2022, eight years after its inception, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) became the second most-watched sports event in India with 220 million viewers, surpassed only by the Indian Premier League (IPL) for T20 cricket.

What fuelled its meteoric rise?

In the second episode of Economies of Khel, economist Rahul De and media expert Kailash Koushik explore how kabaddi transformed from a rural pastime into a professional sport. They trace its roots back over 4,000 years in the Tamil-speaking region of southern India and its evolution in northern India’s traditional wrestling akhadas, where it was used to build physical fitness and combat skills. Some sources even liken Abhimanyu’s battle in the Mahabharata to a kabaddi match, where a lone warrior fends off encircling opponents.

Kabaddi demands a unique combination of physical  ...