An incoming raider is thwarted. Pinned down to the mat by his opponents. The crowd in Nagpur’s Mankapur Stadium breaks into thunderous applause. A decibel meter shows up on a giant screen. The cheers cross 90 decibels.
Across the country, millions of homes tune in to the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) every evening. The stars of the tournament have become household names. In a cricket-obsessed India, this is no mean feat.
The league’s biggest name, Anup Kumar, India’s star raider and captain of U Mumba, PKL’s Mumbai franchise, tells The Quint,
Never had I imagined that kabaddi would become this popular in India.
But behind the players whose display of prowess on the kabaddi mat get beamed live on television sets around the world, there are several off-the-field stars who contribute to the success of the sport.
So here’s a look at the ones who are off the camera, the players beyond the playing mat.
The Voice of the Action
Turn on your telly on any given evening and switch on the kabaddi. Chances are you’ll hear Sunil Taneja’s voice booming into the microphone, “Aur yeh jeet ka danka baja diya hai!”
Taneja and his colleague Sanjay Banerjee’s commentary have been a mainstay through the coverage of the Pro Kabaddi League.
Doctor on Duty
Dr Shivshankar Shukla stays within a 20-metre distance of the playing arena. He is the doctor on call at the stadium, the medical in-charge for the players. If any of the players sustain an injury during the match, Shukla rushes to his aid.
Mascot Magnificent
Prancing around the arena and even on the playing mat during the half-time break was the mascot of the Bengaluru Bulls. True the team’s tagline, he too was “fully charged”, egging fans to cheer louder and entertaining them with his moves.
‘Director Saab’
They call me ‘Kabaddi’ Rao.
Ejjapureddi Prasad ‘Kabaddi’ Rao is a recipient of the Dronacharya Award and a former coach of the Indian kabaddi team for around two decades. Rao is a busy man during the Pro Kabaddi League, travelling continuously from one leg to the next. He serves as the Technical Director of the tournament.
Rao’s contribution in shifting Indian kabaddi “from mud to mat” has long been considered to be crucial. As the sport’s domestic popularity reaches unprecedented heights with this league, ‘Kabaddi’ Rao is more than pleased with the direction that the game is headed.
The Ref’s Call
For most of the year, Krishan Hemachand teaches Physical Education at a Senior Secondary School in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. But when the PKL comes around, it’s time for a break from school.
It’s time to turn referee.
Zooming In
They say that the number of cameras at an event are a measure of the buzz that surrounds it. Apart from the broadcast cameras, the Pro Kabaddi League is full of shutterbugs from the press.
In the enclosure for media photographers, we meet Atul Loke, photographer for the New York Times.
“NYT is doing a feature on kabaddi. And the only way to get the feel is by following a team. So I’m travelling with U Mumba, trailing them through their journey in the league” Loke explains. He clicks away as Anup Kumar makes a raid into the Dabang Delhi half.
As the action continues on the playing mat, one raid after another, the stars outside it keep up their performance as well. They are the invisible half of the wheel of the Pro Kabaddi League. Yet, they’re just as instrumental for it to keep moving in the right direction.
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