Kho Kho’s facelift gives players dreams
While it’s too early to predict what the future holds for Ultimate Kho Kho, players associated with the league are hoping that it ushers in a new era for the sport.
They hope it can be looked at as a career option, along the lines of Pro Kabaddi League. They also hope the league’s success leads to more job opportunities, more local tournaments, and with it, increased prize money.
Subasis Chandra, 19, from West Midnapore, West Bengal, says he doesn’t have “worry anymore about making it as a career choice”. For 32-year-old Ranjan Shetty from Thane, Maharashtra, it has motivated him further “to keep on playing for another few years”.
All are hoping that the league helps Kho-Kho finally shed its traditional sports image and go mainstream.
Pratik Waikar, 30, who hails from Pune and is among the top players in Maharashtra, says that Kho-Kho’s popularity at the local level will make it an instant hit when it will be televised across India. “There is a lot of excitement in the KhoKho fraternity. We first heard about it (the league) four years ago and now it is closer to reality,” says Waikar.
Most players are of the opinion that once the sport is being taken seriously, players won’t quit and parents won’t hesitate from encouraging them to choose it as a career option.
For Chandra, the league has come as a blessing in disguise. “I got hooked to Kho Kho the first time I saw it. A lot of friends from our maidan have quit playing, people taunted me as well “kya career banayega KhoKho se (what career you will make out from this sport”. Now there is hope.”
The draft for the inaugural season was held in Pune on Thursday and the 21-day league will kick off from August 14 in Pune. Six teams, Chennai Quick Guns (KLO Sports), Gujarat Giants ( Adani Sportsline), Mumbai Khiladis (Badshah & Punit Balan), Odisha Juggernauts (Government of Odisha), Rajasthan Warriors ( Capri Global), and Telugu Yoddhas (GMR Sports), will take part in the inaugural season.