Dabang Delhi building a kabaddi legacy
As we approach the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League today, it’s incredible how much the tournament has changed the landscape of the sport in India since its inception. No longer perceived as a pastime and a game for the rural masses, the glamour and splendor attached to it now has almost ascended the players to demi-god statuses.
The masses suddenly know of them and are enthralled by them. The 8 franchisees too, over the last year or so have managed to create an identity for themselves; one which they will be hoping to build on over the next few seasons.
It’s heartening to see the legacy that the team from Delhi – Dabang Delhi are trying to build for themselves. Prepping for the second season of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), the reshuffled squad left for the opening ceremony and the opening round of matches in Mumbai yesterday. While the owners are looking forward to the team bettering the 6th place finish from last season, they are also doing their bit to extend their brand beyond the playing courts and more importantly, beyond the 5 weeks of the tournament.
The franchise, as part of the DoIT Sports Management, has been pioneering the development of ‘Rurban’ (rural and urban) sports initiatives in its catchment areas of National Capital Region. Their recently launched logo is a symbolic emblem of unity, with the DD standing for ‘Dabang in Diversity’/‘Determined to Develop’, underlining Dabang Delhi’s commitment to institutionalize grassroots sports programs.
Commenting on the aforementioned, Radha Kapoor, owner of DoIT Sports Management (India) Pvt. Ltd said, “The response of India, spectators, viewers and sponsors alike, to a successful PKL Season 1 has been quite overwhelming. The debut viewership stood at 435 million, remarkably only second to IPL, lending credence to our objective of associating with a ‘RURBAN’ Indian sport.
“We are proud to say that Dabang Delhi through its initiatives is trying to make kabaddi, which was considered a rural sport, a global sport (Olympics); a man’s game, to now being recognized and pursued by girls/women in urban cities!”
Determined to contribute in the development of kabaddi and nurture new sporting talents, Dabang Delhi has been organizing camps and conducting talent scouting in rural belts of Haryana and UP to unearth young prospects for the sport.
The team is also driven to encourage women’s sports development programs across the country and have been holding a camp for girls here at the Thyagraj for more than 2 weeks now.