Pro Kabaddi League is helping international competitors catch up

The emergence of leagues in India have, by and large, helped our athletes -except maybe in kabaddi. A sport in which Indians have traditionally maintained unparalleled dominance, kabaddi could see other nations catching up owing to the success of the Pro Kabaddi League.

India rules at international events, but the league has given foreign players -from Iran, South Korea and Turkey for example -greater exposure and they're catching up fast. At least that's what some of the stars believe.

“Players from Iran, Korea -who are part of our teams in Pro Kabaddi League -practice with us. They see and learn how we strategize and plan. They then apply it when representing their countries at international tournaments.So, naturally the competition has increased,“ said Patna Pirates captain Manpreet Singh on the eve of their semifinal against Puneri Paltans.

U Mumba skipper Anup Kumar added: “Earlier, we used to win competitions without facing much of a threat from the opposition. But, in the past two years, things have changed. Now we have to fight hard.“ U Mumbai will face Bengal Warriors in the second semi-final today.

Competing nations are also hiring Indian coaches to get the edge. “A few countries have requested the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India to provide them coaches and the federation has sent some of our coaches,“ added Manpreet.

The last Asian Games saw India fight hard to defend their title against Iran, prevailing only in the dying minutes of the final match.