Author: Ashok Namboodiri

The 12th edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) kicked off this weekend. When the Pro Kabaddi League first launched in 2014, it rewrote the rules of Indian sport. Kabaddi, once viewed as a rustic pastime, suddenly had the lights, cameras, and adrenaline of prime-time television. Packed stadiums, Bollywood endorsements, and marquee sponsors made the league an overnight sensation. For a while, kabaddi was the talk of every living room. But over a decade later, the momentum has slowed. Expanding to 12 franchises, instead of deepening engagement, has stretched resources thin. Broadcasters grumble about mounting losses, advertisers aren’t opening their…

Sports tourism has quietly become one of the most dynamic engines of the global travel economy. Estimates place the market in the $600–870 billion range in 2024–25, with projections crossing $2 trillion by the early 2030s. Fans today are not just buying tickets; they are building entire journeys around live sport, combining matches with cultural experiences, food trails, concerts, and soft adventure. Major global tournaments have shown how powerful this sector can be. EURO 2024 in Germany generated billions in direct and indirect impact, while the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France delivered significant tourism and hospitality revenue. Cricket’s T20…

The government’s recent ban on real-money gaming has sent shockwaves across India’s digital and sports ecosystems. While card and chance-based games like Rummy, Poker, and Teen Patti may have been the primary targets, the collateral damage lies elsewhere – fantasy sports. And in cutting this lifeline, the government may have inadvertently pulled the plug on the very financial backbone that kept Indian cricket, and much of the wider sports economy, humming. For close to a decade, platforms like Dream11, MPL, and My11Circle weren’t just gaming apps. They were among the biggest sponsors, advertisers, and partners for cricket at every level.…

“They say every ending will have a new start. My time as an IPL cricketer comes to a close today, but my journey as an explorer of the game across various leagues begins now.” With that tweet, Ravichandran Ashwin did more than announce his IPL farewell – he cracked open a door that Indian cricket has kept firmly shut for decades. Few players embody reinvention in Indian cricket like Ashwin. From the narrow streets of Chennai where he started as a promising opener, to becoming one of the world’s finest spinners, and now a cerebral voice in the game. Ashwin’s…

If Paris 2024 was about elegance, LA 2028 will be about energy. Two new sports are set to debut and three sports are making a comeback. These five sports don’t just expand the Olympic menu; they inject it with swagger. For Los Angeles, a city built on stories, this is the perfect script: legacy meets novelty, Hollywood spectacle meets sporting grit. Cricket is poised to make a stirring and historic return to the Olympic stage, marking its first appearance in the Games since 1900. In that edition in Paris, Great Britain defeated France in a solitary match. After more than…

Some matches linger in memory because of their endings. At St James’ Park, Liverpool staged one of those nights. Leading 2-0, then pegged back by a ten-man Newcastle who roared back with goals from Bruno Guimaraes and William Osula, the game looked destined for a draw. Enter Rio Ngumoha, a 16-year-old debutant, who smashed home in the 100th minute to seal a 3-2 victory. The goal made him Liverpool’s youngest-ever scorer and injected fresh romance into a league that thrives on drama. For the Kop faithful, it felt like watching a new chapter of history being written. Over in London,…

Growing up in Kolkata during the eighties, it was impossible not to take sides. You had to be either Chingdi or Iilish… I chose Mohun Bagan simply because the maroon-and-green appealed to me. Names like Cheema Okerie, Krishanu Dey, Bikash Panji, Jamshed Nassiiri and Majid were household ones … and many a piyanji and cha was consumed discussing their exploits. When my father decided to retire and move back to his roots, I ended up in Kerala, my native place. And yet again, led by Diego Maradona, the Malayali considered Argentina his home team. Homes would be decorated in the…

Another weekend, another two points thrown away. Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Fulham was more than just a bad result; it was a grim reminder of how far the club has fallen. A team that once made winning inevitable now makes mediocrity routine. As a fan, it is suffocating. Let’s start with the most damning stat: Manchester United have failed to score a single goal in the first half in 29 games since the start of last season. Only CFC Genoa (30) tops that in Europe’s top five leagues! In the current campaign, the tally remains zero first-half goals from…

Every city has its icons. For Kolkata, it isn’t just the Howrah Bridge or Victoria Memorial. Sometimes it’s a sprawling, green colossus rooted in memory…the Great Banyan tree at the Botanical Gardens in Shibpur. To a wide-eyed child like me, trudging in with my brother on weekend outings, the tree wasn’t just a tree. It was an entire universe – sturdy, sprawling, unbending, yet full of quiet surprises if you looked closely. Years later, when I watch Cheteshwar Pujara bat, I realise that the Banyan had already given me a metaphor for him. The Banyan tree is not glamorous. It…

Saudi Arabia’s decision to put Al-Nassr and three other footballing giants on the block marks a decisive shift in the Kingdom’s sporting playbook. Only months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo had extended his contract, underlining Riyadh’s ability to attract the very best in global sport. Today, however, the headlines are not about star signings but about privatisation and sustainability. For the past few years, Saudi sport has been synonymous with ambition and state-backed might. Tens of billions of dollars flowed in, fuelling marquee transfers, gleaming stadiums, and hosting rights for global events. This surge was not vanity; it was strategy. Vision 2030…