Adani, GMR Sports throw hat into Amit Burman-promoted Kho Kho league

Adani Sportsline picks up Gujarat team, GMR Sports gets the Telangana franchise

Adani Sportsline and GMR Sports have bought the rights to own and operate a franchise each in the six-member Ultimate Kho Kho league, its CEO Tenzing Niyogi told Business Standard.

The announcement comes as the league — promoted by Dabur Group Chairman Amit Burman in collaboration with the Kho Kho Federation of India — prepares to launch its inaugural edition later this year. Niyogi did not specify the deal size or tenure of the ownership by the two groups.

But Vinod Bisht, CEO of GMR Sports, said the association could run for at least a decade as the group sought to promote non-cricket sports in the country.

“This is an investment for the long term,” Bisht said. “Our endeavour has been to nurture talent at the grass roots and invest not only in popular sports such as cricket, but also indigenous sports such as kho kho. Over the last 15 years, we’ve demonstrated this with our investments in cricket, kabaddi and wrestling. Kho Kho gives us one more avenue to tap into latent demand for an indigenous sport,” Bisht said.

Just how big cricket is in India can be gauged from a simple statistic: Almost 75 per cent of sports sponsorship in the country comes from cricket, according to a joint report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Sporjo, a sports agency, released in December. It notes that India’s sports media and sponsorship industry touched nearly Rs 9,500 crore in FY20 and would reach Rs 15,000 crore by FY24.

Despite the challenges, non-cricket sporting leagues have gained ground in the past few years, with the formation of leagues in kabaddi, wrestling, badminton, and football. Kho Kho is the latest entrant.

It aims to revolutionise kho kho with a professional format and structure, with Burman, who first conceptualised the idea in 2019, investing Rs 200 crore over five years. The endeavour is tapping the local-level talent and interest for kho kho and build it into a national property.

Sony Pictures Networks India has already been roped in as the official broadcast partner for both television and digital audiences. The Reliance group-backed Rise Worldwide, an independent sports, lifestyle, and entertainment company, was inducted this year as the league consultant and partner in broadcast production.

Adani has picked up the Gujarat team, while GMR has the Telangana franchise, Niyogi said, with four more team ownerships to be announced shortly.

“There is an Indian non-banking financial company, a US tech firm, and an Indian music sensation who are coming on board as team owners. We wanted a good mix of existing sports investors as well as new ones for the Ultimate Kho Kho league. We have got that in place,” Niyogi said, adding that more teams could be inducted in the forthcoming editions.

The league is also talking to companies, including fast-moving consumer goods players as well as edtech, martech, and fintech majors, for one title and six associate sponsorships.

“We see the interest from conglomerates such as Adani and GMR as well as new-age companies such as edtech and fintech start-ups and celebrities interested in sports as a boost to kho kho and the league culture we are looking to create,” Niyogi said.

“Like kabaddi and wrestling, kho kho has its roots in the Indian soil. There is a potential for the sport to grow into a formidable league,” he said.

“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 leagues gives us confidence that the Ultimate Kho Kho League will do wonders for this much-loved traditional sport,” Pranav Adani, director, Adani Enterprises, said.

Globally, indigenous sports have enjoyed a high level of viewership in the countries they are played. Like the National Football League, which is a professional league for American football. It is followed by 52 per cent Americans compared to 42 per cent for the National Basketball League and 31 per cent for the Major League Baseball, according to a study by data provider Statista, released in February.

In India, the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) was the second-most watched league after the Indian Premier League, till Covid-19 struck in 2020. After a twenty-month gap, the eighth edition of PKL was launched in December 2021, concluding in February this year.