What Are the Best Sports Tournaments in India?
If you're like most people, you think cricket is the only competitive sport in India. While India is famous for cricket, there's a significant rise in other sports like football, tennis, and badminton.
And to achieve its dream of ranking among the best major sporting nations in the world, the sports boards in India have introduced various tournaments.
Both Indians and foreigners go crazy about these tournaments and are watched today globally. Below, we have highlighted the top sports and tournaments in India:
1. Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most decorated domestic cricket league in the world. IPL is a franchised-based T20 league held annually between March and May.
Founded in 2007, IPL features 10 teams in its league phase that play against each other in a home-and-away format. The top four teams in the league phase proceed to the playoffs where the first two teams play against each other. The winner qualifies for the final while the loser draws the winner between the third and fourth-placed teams.
Chennai Super Kings won the 2023 IPL title, taking their tally to a record of five titles in the history of the sport (a tie with Mumbai Indians). They crushed Gujarat, defending champions, by five wickets in a DLS method. The 2023 IPL final recorded 32 million streaming views on JioCinema.
Cricket is also one of the most popular sports to bet on among Indian cricket fans. They are actually crazy about it. Though it is a difficult sport to predict, there are sites where you can learn how it works. And the team of experts at The Sports Geek has you covered. They provide expert betting picks for various games and reviews on the best sportsbooks in the US.
2. Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is the most prestigious football league in India. The All India Football Federation hosts ISL while sponsorship comes in from the IMG Reliance & Hero.
Inaugurated on 21 October 2013 as an 8-team league, ISL has expanded to 11 teams that play against each other in a home-and-away format. ISL seasons run from September to March. The highest Indian Super League viewership ever recorded was 130 million views in 2021.
At the end of the Indian Super League season , the top two teams qualify for the semis playoffs. The 3rd to 6th placed teams play knockouts and the winners (two teams) proceed to the semis. The semis are played in two legs ( home and away) and the winners book a spot in the grand final. Additionally, the winner of the ISL grand final qualifies for the Asian Cup.
Mumbai City, with 46 points after 20 games, is in the sole position to win the 2022-2023 ISL title.
3. Premier Badminton League
Premier Badminton League (PBL) was founded in 2013 as the only Badminton franchise-based tournament. The PBL premier season was inaugurated in 2016 with Delhi Dashers beating Mumbai Rockets 4-3 in the final to win the championship.
Nine teams compete in the PBL, formatted into a league-cum knockout system. Each team plays 6 ties (5 matches per tie) in a best of 3 games during the league phase (Team A vs Team B). The maximum number of points per game is 15. The 6 ties include Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Singles, and Mixed Doubles.
There's also the Trump Match Format in which two teams with a tie choose a match to cut the tie. A win in the Trump match adds two points to the tie score while a loss deducts a point from the score. The top four teams from the league phase proceed to the semifinals and then the grand final to determine the champions of the PBL.
4. Pro Kabaddi League
Launched in 2014, the Pro Kabaddi League has had significant growth to write its name in the world of sports. The sport is played in a rectangular 13 by 10 meters arena for men and 12 by 8 meters for women.
Each team fields seven players to score the most points during a match. Points are awarded during attacking or defending. An attack involves a “rider” invading the opponent’s half and tagging as many defenders as they can and returning to their half safely—without being pinned to the ground.
Defending involves preventing a raider from the opposing team from tagging members of the team by pinning them down to the ground. A point is given for every successful defending and brings back a tagged defender into play.
Pro Kabaddi is divided into two halves 20 minutes long. The league currently has 12 teams that play in a double round-robin format. Dabang Delhi are the defending champions after defeating Patna Pirates (the most successful team in the Pro Kabaddi League with 3 titles) in the 2021-2022 final.
Enjoy an Action-Packed Sports Calendar in India
While India is a native land of cricket, its sports industry is significantly expanding to feature other international games like football and badminton. The various leagues attract and nurture both Indian and foreign talents, thus propelling the sports industry forward. And there's a sport for every fan, at least, every year.
Disclaimer: The above is a contributor post, the views expressed are those of the contributor and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
