Adani Group and GMR Group have purchased the Gujarat and Telangana franchises respectively for Ultimate Kho Kho, which is set to begin in 2022.
The tournament aims to promote the homegrown sport in India and provide opportunities to talented players from all over the world.
The league is being promoted by Amit Burman, Chairman of Dabur Group along with the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI). The league intends to transform the traditional Kho-Kho sport by implementing a modern-day professional rework that would deliver the fast-paced action to the sports fans in a new avatar.
Welcoming the two team owners, Tenzing Niyogi, CEO, Ultimate Kho Kho said, “I am delighted to welcome the Adani Group & GMR on-board on our Ultimate Kho Kho journey. We are committed to bring this sporting spectacle to the masses of India and it’s of great pride to collaborate with corporates as stakeholders. This is certainly a strong foot forward for Ultimate Kho Kho becoming a sports movement.”
Adani Sportsline, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, is already involved with several sporting leagues in the nation with teams like Gujarat Giants in Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and Gujarat Giants in Indian Boxing League. The group is dedicated to assisting young talents from the country in their sporting journey.
Pranav Adani, Director at Adani Enterprises said, “At Adani Sportsline, we are delighted to be in a position to promote yet another exciting homegrown sport.
“We have always believed that the best way to promote homegrown sports and build engagement across the national audience is to adopt a professional, structured approach. Our experience with the Kabaddi and Boxing League gives us confidence that the Ultimate Kho Kho League will do wonders for this much-loved traditional sport. Our decision to partner with this league is an extension of our aim to build a world-class ecosystem that nurtures sporting talent, accelerates the sports economy and plays the role of an enabler in India’s journey to become a leading sporting nation.”
With the acquisition of the Telangana franchise, GMR Sports intends to promote Kho Kho in South India. The group is associated with several sporting tournaments in the country with teams like Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and UP Yoddha in the Pro Kabaddi League.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Corporate Chairman, GMR Group said, “At GMR Sports’ our aim is to promote sports amongst youth, connect with the community at large and build a supporting ecosystem. Since its inception, over 15 years ago, the company has done pioneering work in growing popular sports such as Cricket and other indigenous sports like Kabaddi and Wrestling across India and overseas. With a vision to nurture talent at the grass root level, it has invested in providing access to professional sports by setting up Sports Training Academies across India.”
The league has announced Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) as its official broadcasting partner. The matches will be broadcast exclusively across SPNI sports channels and on the OTT platform, SonyLIV.