Kabaddi World Cup 2016

The 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, the third standard-style Kabaddi World Cup, was an international kabaddi tournament governed by the International Kabaddi Federation, contested from 7 to 22 October 2016 in Ahmedabad, India. Twelve countries had competed in the tournament.

The tournament was won by India, who defeated Iran 38-29 in the championship game to win their third Kabaddi World Cup.

Twelve teams competed in the tournament. Pakistan was originally scheduled to participate in the tournament, but was removed due to increased tensions between India and Pakistan. The International Kabaddi Federation argued that it was "not the right time to engage with Pakistan". The Pakistani team criticized the move, arguing that it was comparable to holding a FIFA World Cup without Brazil. 

The teams which participated in this world cup are as follows along with their captains.

Teams                                                               Captains

Australia                                                                  Campbell Brown

Bangladesh                                                              Md. Aruduzzaman Munshi

India                                                                       Anup Kumar

Iran                                                                        Meraj Sheykh   

England                                                                   Someshwar Kaila

Japan                                                                      Masayuki Shimokawa

Kenya                                                                      David Mosambayi

Poland                                                                     Michal Spiczko

South Korea                                                             Dong Ju Hong

Thailand                                                                   Khomsan Thongkam

Argentina                                                                 Cesaro Roman

United States                                                            Troy Bacon

                                          Venue

The tournament was hosted at The Arena (currently known as The Arena by TransStadia, pending the sale of official naming rights), a newly constructed convertible stadium in Ahmedabad. In its standard configuration, it operates as an outdoor football pitch capable of seating 20,000. The venue utilizes technology licensed from the British firm StadiArena, which allows a portion of the field to be partitioned into a 4,000-seat indoor arena, which is used for the tournament. The venue is a public-private partnership with India's Department of Tourism.

                                          Emblem

The official emblem of the tournament was unveiled on 14 September 2016 by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel. It incorporates a stylized lion, representing the Asiatic lions of Girnar. The use of a lion symbolizes the "ferocity of a Kabaddi defender and the agility of a raider", while its striped mane represents the worldwide participation in the tournament.

                                        

There have been three editions of Kabaddi World Cup held so far, 2004 and 2007 being the other editions apart from 2016. India have won all the editions of the World Cup which is a matter of great pride for every Indian. 

VIVO PRO KABADDI- THE STORY SO FAR

Mashal Sports is the organizing company of Pro Kabaddi League. It was founded in 1994 by Anand Mahindra and Charu Sharma with a vision to make kabaddi more available to the Indian audience. Their pathbreaking initiative was backed by international broadcasting giant STAR India. After extensive research and market study, they launched the inaugural edition of Pro Kabaddi with the player auctions on 20th May 2014. The games were brought to home audiences live on the STAR India Network of which Mashal Sports is now an integral part.

The Pro Kabaddi journey began in the year 2014 with much enthusiasm and anticipation. It featured eight teams battling it out for the coveted Pro Kabaddi champions’ title over a five-week period. Fans were all set for some mouth-watering ‘panga’ and the league did not fail to deliver. It had the second highest viewership among sporting events in India. In the end, Jaipur Pink Panthers emerged victorious beating U Mumba 35-24 in the final.

The Pro Kabaddi journey began in the year 2014 with much enthusiasm and anticipation. It featured eight teams battling it out for the coveted Pro Kabaddi champions’ title over a five-week period. Fans were all set for some mouth-watering ‘panga’ and the league did not fail to deliver. It had the second highest viewership among sporting events in India. In the end, Jaipur Pink Panthers emerged victorious beating U Mumba 35-24 in the final.

--------------------------------------- Player facts -----------------------------------------------

MVP --------- Anup Kumar ( U Mumba )

TOP RAIDER ------ Rahul Chaudhary ( Telegu Titans )

TOP DEFENDER ---- Manjeet Chillar ( Benguluru Bulls )

                                                   

SEASON 2

The second season kicked off in July 2015. This time, the squads were bigger with the strength going from 14 to 25 giving the world a glimpse of a whole lot of new and exciting kabaddi talent. U Mumba dominated the season and emerged as the deserving champions beating Bengaluru Bulls 36-30 in the finals.

--------------------------------------------- Player Facts ----------------------------------------

MVP------ Manjeet Chillar ( Benguluru Bulls )

TOP RAIDER ------ Kashilling Adake ( Dabang Delhi K.C. )

TOP DEFENDER ---- Ravinder Pahal ( Dabang Delhi K.C. )

                                                      

SEASON 3

With its popularity on the rise, Season 3 of Pro Kabaddi came just five months after the completion of the second season. The teams found their stride with the perfect balance of defensive and attacking players leading to more closely contested games. Patna Pirates ousted defending champions U Mumba in the finals and clinched a 31-28 victory.

----------------------------------------------------- Player Facts ---------------------------------------------------

MVP------ Rohit Kumar ( Patna Pirates )

TOP RAIDER ------ Rishank Devadika ( U Mumba )

TOP DEFENDER ---- Sandeep Narwal ( Patna Pirates )

                                                       

SEASON 4

In June 2016, Season 4 returned following closely on the heels of the previous edition of the league. This was the first time two consecutive seasons were played in the same calendar year. It also had increased international participation with 24 players from 12 countries joining the fray. Patna Pirates retained their title trumping inaugural season winners Jaipur Pink Panthers 37-29.

---------------------------------------------------- Player Facts ---------------------------------------------

MVP------ Pardeep Narwal ( Patna Pirates )

TOP RAIDER ------ Rahul Chaudhary ( Telegu Titans )

TOP DEFENDER ---- Fazel Atrachali ( Patna Pirates )

                                                           

         

Pro Kabaddi League

VIVO Pro Kabaddi, a ground-breaking initiative by Mashal Sports and STAR India, is the only league to bring the franchise-based format to India’s indigenous sport of kabaddi. Ever since its inception in 2014, the league has revolutionised the sport with stunning innovations, which has made it into an aspirational sport for players and fans alike. Backed by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) and the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), the league has witnessed tremendous growth over the past four seasons.

Mashal Sports and STAR India have jointly worked towards elevating the sport of kabaddi to an international standard with new and exciting innovations in the rules and how the game is viewed, thus heralding a new era. They infused new life into the sport by bringing it to the major metropolitan cities of India along with the regions where kabaddi was yet to gain a foothold. VIVO Pro Kabaddi now has unprecedented participation from various parts of the country owing to the outreach over the past four seasons and the advent of new programmes pioneered by Mashal Sports to encourage young talent from across the country. Kabaddi is now seen as a viable career option by various aspiring players in India and abroad.

This year, Mashal Sports announced the addition of four new teams for the fifth edition of the league. The new sides – Gujarat Fortunegiants, Haryana Steelers, Tamil Thalaivas and UP Yoddha – will now contest alongside the established eight teams namely, Bengal Warriors, Bengaluru Bulls, Dabang Delhi K.C., Jaipur Pink Panthers, Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Telugu Titans and U Mumba in a 138-match season over 13 weeks in what will be a test of skill as well as physical fitness for the coveted title.

The current edition with the four new entrants will make VIVO Pro Kabaddi India’s biggest sports league in terms of geographical representation. 12 franchises across 11 states, with a host of international talent and Indian superstars, will go toe-to-toe against one another in some high-octane action on the mat.

Key People

Charu Sharma

“(The fact) that the sport had immense popularity throughout India - from the street to the national level - was an eyeopener. I wondered why the game hadn't been made more available to us.”

A well-known Indian television personality, Charu Sharma is one of the founders of Mashal Sports and Pro Kabaddi. He has worn many hats in his broadcast career ranging from commentator to quizmaster. He was also the CEO of Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Indian Premier League franchise, for the 2008 season.

Anand Mahindra

“I always felt it is important to encourage other sports (compared to cricket), especially those that bring communities together and promote active lifestyles to Indian youth.”

Anand Mahindra is the chairman and managing director of the Mahindra Group. He has been listed in Forbes magazine as one of 25 most influential business people in Asia. Besides his extensive profile as an industrialist, he is also a member of the council and executive committee of the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF).

Anupam Goswami

“Heralding a new era in Indian sports, Pro Kabaddi has revamped kabaddi, transforming it into an inspirational, world-class spectacle with a remarkable following.”

Anupam Goswami is the executive head of Mashal Sports and the League Commissioner of VIVO Pro Kabaddi. Joining Star Sports in 2013, he was instrumental in leading and launching the business and broadcast programming of kabaddi.

Evolution Of Kabaddi

                   Kabaddi is originated in Tamilnadu and Kerala and this game was spread to south east Asia through Tamil empire Chola Used to Motivate the soldiers when there is no War.

   Kabaddi is an ancient game played in several parts of India, and its origin is traced from Indian mythology {for example- Abhimanyu invented in during Mahabharata battle}.In different parts of India, different forms of this game evolved; and modern Kabaddi is basically a synthesis of these different types of games. In India, still four kinds of Kabaddi are played viz. Sanjeevani Kabaddi, Gaminee Kabaddi, Amar Kabaddi and Punjabi Kabaddi.

• In Sanjeevani Kabaddi, one player is revived against one player of the opposite team who is out – one out. The game is played over 40 minutes with a five-minute break between halves. There are seven players on each side and the team that outs all the players on the opponent’s side scores four extra points.
• In Gaminee Kabaddi, seven players play on either side or a player put out has to remain out until all his team members are out. The team that is successful in ousting all the players of the opponent’s side secures a point. The game continues until five or seven such points are secured and has no fixed time duration.
• In Amar Kabaddi, resembles the Sanjeevani form in the time frame rule. But, a player who is declared out doesn’t leave the court, but instead stays inside, and the play goes along. For every player of the opposition touched ‘out,’ a team earns a point.
• In Punjabi Kabaddi, it is played on a circular pitch of a diameter of 22 meters.

                      Kabaddi was first introduced in 1938 in Indian National Games at Calcutta. The All India Kabaddi Federation came into existence in 1950, and it was reconstituted as Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) in 1972. First Asian Kabaddi Championship was held in 1980, in which India emerged as Champion.In 2016, India hosted the Kabaddi World Cup and defeated Iran by 38-29 in the championship game to win their Third Kabaddi World Cup.

                     Bangladesh adopted Kabaddi as its National Game(Hadudu). In India, it is the state game of Maharashtra, TamilNadu, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab. It also encompasses similar sports known by their regional names in Indian states such as chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh, sadugudu in Tamil Nadu and hututu in Maharashtra.

             With the advent of Pro-Kabaddi, this outdoor game played in streets has transformed into a sport that is now played indoors. It has also been able to garner glamour and lucrative deals for its players. Kabaddi was never played for a career or livelihood until recent times.