These days, Sachin Tanwar is used to his friends calling him a crorepati. As the most expensive player in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) this season, which begins on October 18 in Hyderabad, the bid of Rs 2.15 crore—the second highest in PKL history—was a culmination of a dream for the Tamil Thalaivas player. “After playing for six years in the league, I had wanted to go to the auction. It was my mother’s dream ki meri sabse best boli lagni chahiye [I should have the best bid],” he says. Now in its eleventh season, PKL has become one of Star Sports’ most successful properties, which it created in collaboration with Mashal Sports a decade back. And in being so, PKL has changed the lives of talented players like Sachin. “I belong to a simple kisaan [farmer] family. I couldn’t give them much before,” he says. “I’ve made a house for my parents, got a car for my father and brother. It feels good to help them.” As part of the second most popular sporting league in India after the Indian Premier League, Tanwar has seen not just financial growth but also seen kabaddi evolve at a rapid rate. “Now kabaddi is something different altogether,” he says. Transitioning “from mitti to mat, the game’s become so fast, the movements are quick and the atmosphere is different.” It’s this very speed of play which has made PKL ideal for television.
This story is from the October 21, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 21, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Decoupling Dilemma
As Tensions Between India And China Thaw And The Trade Between Them Grows, India Faces The Tough Task Of Keeping Cheap Chinese Imports At Bay While Encouraging Those That Its Domestic Industry Needs
Killer Stress
Unhealthy work practices in Indian companies are taking a toll on employees, triggering health issues and sometimes even death
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
