WSport in India refers to the large variety of games played in India, ranging from tribal games to more mainstream sports such as Kabaddi, cricket, badminton and football. India's diversity of culture, people, and tribes, as well as its colonial legacy, are reflected in the wide variety of sporting disciplines in the country.
WThe All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament is an amateur league competition for rugby union football clubs in India. The competition has been played since 1924. In 2017 ten teams took part in the men's edition, with Delhi Hurricanes securing the championship. The 2016 tournament also saw the first women's XVs rugby competition, with six teams participating, and the championship going to the team from the Odisha Rugby Football Association.
WTenpin bowling is a popular and recreational sport in India. The activity is administered by the Bangalore-based Tenpin Bowling Federation of India. It organises the National Bowling League comprising championships for amateurs, corporate team tournaments as well as a national tour for professionals. Many Indians take up bowling for fitness, rather than for recreation. Bowling alleys in India are commonly a part of multiplexes and malls.
WThe India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India and Men in Blue, is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council with Test, One-Day International and Twenty20 International status
WThe Elite Football League of India (EFLI) is a professional American football league based in India. It was founded with eight franchises in 2011, and now has 23 franchises throughout South Asia, among whom 20 located in India, two in Sri Lanka and one in Pakistan. The league has had only one season till now.
WFootball is the second most popular sports in India after Cricket in terms of players participation & the third most popular sport in india in terms of TV Viewership lagging behind long time no.1 Cricket & re-emerging Kabaddi. India's current top domestic football league is Indian Super League, formed as an unrecognised professional league with eight teams (now 11) to promote Indian football to the country and world. The league began on 2014 and after third season, it was recognised as the second national football league, running parallel with the I-League, thus leaving India as one of the few countries with two fully recognised football leagues. After fifth season, it has been recognised as the top domestic football league in India. Also contested is Santosh Trophy, a knock-out competition between states (provinces) and government institutions.
WHockey India League (HIL), known as the Coal India Hockey India League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional field hockey league in India. The league is organized by Hockey India, the governing body for the sport in India. HIL, along with the Indian Premier League, Indian Super League, and Pro Kabaddi League, is considered one of the major sports leagues in the country. HIL consists of six teams, with the regular season lasting two months from January to February, with each team playing 10 games. The top four teams at the end of the season move into the play-offs, where the championship game decides the Hockey India League winner.
WIndian Association of Kickboxing Organisations (IAKO) is the national federation of Kickboxing in India. IAKO was formed in 1993 to control and promote kickboxing activities throughout the country. IAKO promotes amateur kickboxing and professional kickboxing in all the States, Union Territories and Special armed forces across the country.
WThe Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India usually contested between March and May of every year by eight teams representing eight different cities or states in India. The league was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007. The IPL has an exclusive window in ICC Future Tours Programme.
WThe Indian Women's League is the top division women's professional football league in India with the first season kicking off in Cuttack in October 2016. The league is run by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
WThe Karnataka Premier League (KPL) is an Indian Twenty20 cricket league established by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) in August 2009 and modelled after the Indian Premier League (IPL). As of April 2018, there are 8 teams competing in the league.
WKhelo India: National Programme for Development of Sports, branded as Khelo India, aims at improving India's sports culture at the grass-root level through organized talent identification, structured sporting competitions and infrastructure development. It is a Government of India programme launched in 2016–17 under the tenure Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sports Minister's Vijay Goel and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
WKhelo India University Games (KIUG), is a national level multi-sport event held in India, where athletes from universities across the country compete in different sport disciplines. The inaugural edition held in Odisha started on 22 February and concluded on 1 March 2020. It is organised by Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports along with Association of Indian Universities, Indian Olympic Association and National Sports Federation. It is the largest university level sports competition in India.
WKhelo India Winter Games are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot winter games of India. Events include snow skiing, snow rugby, snow ice stock, snow baseball, snow mountaineering, snow shoe, ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating. It was decided to hold the first Khelo India Winter Games in 2020 after the success of multiple editions of the Khelo India Youth Games.
WKhelo India Youth Games (KIYG), formerly Khelo India School Games (KISG), means Play India Youth Games, held annually in January or February, are the national level multidisciplinary grassroot games in India held for two categories, namely under-17 years school students and under-21 college students. Every year best 1,000 kids will be given an annual scholarship of ₹5 lakh (US$7,000) for 8 years to prepare them for the international sporting events.
WIndia is the oldest korfball playing country in Asia. In 1979, when the game was first introduced in India, korfball popularity has continued to rise and now the game is being played in 27 States with each state having its own association to promote and organize events. Korfball is recognized by the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India and national championships in senior, junior and sub-junior categories and the inter-University and inter-school championships are being held regularly.
WLathi khela is a traditional Bengali martial art – a kind of stick fighting practised India and Bangladesh. A practitioner is known as a lathial.
WLeg cricket is a form of cricket played between two teams of eleven players on a circular ground with a radius between 80 and 120 feet. The game is played in South Asian countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
WPremier Badminton League (PBL) is a team badminton league held in India. Sportz & Live Private Limited (Sportzlive) has the rights to operate and execute the Premier Badminton League.
WPremier Hockey League (PHL) was a professional field hockey league competition for clubs in the top division of the Indian hockey system. There were seven teams in the PHL. The competition was held every year from 2005 until 2008.
WThe Pro Kabaddi League, is a professional-level Kabaddi league in India. It was launched in 2014 and is broadcast on Star Sports.
WPro Volleyball League (PVL), also known as RuPay Pro Volleyball League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional men's indoor volleyball league in India. The inaugural season took place in February 2019. The league is an initiative between the Volleyball Federation of India and Baseline Ventures. Sony Pictures Networks India is the official broadcaster of the league. RuPay is the title sponsor for the inaugural season of the league which was won by Chennai Spartans. MyTeam11 is the official fantasy partner for the first season of the league.
WThe Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. The competition currently consists of 38 teams, with all 28 states in India and four of the eight union territories having at least one representation. The competition is named after the first Indian cricketer who played international cricket, Ranjitsinhji, who was also known as 'Ranji'.
WThe Santosh Trophy is an association football knock-out competition contested by the regional state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the sport's governing body in India. Before the start of the first national club league, the National Football League, in 1996, the Santosh Trophy was considered the top domestic championship in India. Many players who have represented India internationally played and gained accolades while playing in the Santosh Trophy. The tournament is held every year with 31 teams who are divided into groups and who must qualify for the tournament proper through the preliminary round. The current champions are Services, who won their 6th title during the 2018–19 edition.
WSepak takraw is not very well known in India, although it was a demonstration sport at the Delhi Asian Games in 1982. The Sepak Takraw Federation with its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, was founded on 10 September 1982. It is recognised by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports since 2000. So far, the Federation has conducted 14 Senior, seven Junior, and six Sub-Junior National Championships in different cities and is also conducting Federation Cup Tournament and zonal National Championship.
WThe Sports Federation of India (SFI) is an autonomous entity registered under Trust Act 1950 (INDIA), aspiring to promote professionalism in sports and establishment of quality standards in educational organizations preferably in rural and semi-urban regions of India.
WPopular sports in Jammu and Kashmir include cricket, football and winter sports along with sports like golf, water sports and adventure sports. The National Winter Games have been held in Gulmarg thrice over the years. The first Khelo India Winter Games were held in February and March 2020 in Leh and Gulmarg. Jammu and Kashmir won the most gold medals while the Indian Army team came second with 8 gold medals.
WSquash is a popular recreational sport in India, and is gaining popularity as a competitive sport. It is governed by the Squash Rackets Federation of India. The India men's national squash team has participated in three quarter finals of the World Team Squash Championships since 1967.
WSuper Fight League is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in India. The organisation was formed in 2012 by actor Sanjay Dutt and British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, and is currently co-owned by British-Asian businessman Bill Dosanjh and British-Pakistani boxing champion Amir Khan.
WThe Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The league was formed in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It is played during July and August of every year by eight teams representing eight districts in Tamil Nadu. Sankar Cements has been sponsoring the competition since its inception. The first season inaugurated by then Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni was won by Tuti Patriots.
WTennis enjoys a considerable following in India, although it is limited to urban areas but still it is counted among the most popular sports in India. India has produced a number of tennis players, who have achieved international recognition and have made their presence in some of the top tennis tournaments and grand slams. All India Tennis Association (AITA) established in 1920, is the governing body of tennis in India and is a member of the Asian Tennis Federation. India Davis Cup team is the most successful team of Asia in Davis Cup, who has finished as runners-up 3 times.
WTour de Kalinga is an annual Cyclothon primarily held in Odisha a state in India. It has been described as "the longest Cyclothon of Asia. Tour de Kalinga was formerly known as Konark International Cylothon was founded by Sudhir Kumar Dash, Founder of Roots of Odisha Foundation.
WThe United Basketball Alliance (UBA) is the first men’s professional basketball league in India; comprising eight teams. It is the premier men’s professional basketball league in India. UBA is headquartered in Pune and has a city team, Pune Peshwas. The first UBA match was played on 17 July 2015 at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad between Bengaluru Beast and Pune Peshwas. The match was won by Pune Peshwas as they pulled out an 88-81 win. This marked the first time a professional basketball league tipped off in India.
WThe Ultimate Table Tennis is a professional level table tennis league in India. It was launched in 2017 and contested by 6 teams. It is organized by 11Sports promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani and held under the aegis of Table Tennis Federation of India. It is broadcast by Star Sports.
WWorld Series Hockey (WSH) was a professional league for field hockey competition in India. It was organised by Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sports with the objective to reinvigorate hockey in India. It was contested among eight franchisee-based teams consisting of players from India and around the world. The entire event took place on home and away basis culminating into multi header playoffs. Australian Dennis Meredith, a member of the FIH panel of tournament directors is the technical director of the WSH. It is currently sponsored by tyre manufacturers, Bridgestone, and therefore officially known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey.