Gurugram (Haryana) [India], April 14 : The Global Indian Pravasi Kabaddi League (GI-PKL) has invited the Honourable Chief Minister of Haryana, Nayab Saini, to declare the upcoming League open, which gets underway in Gurugram on Friday.
The Global Indian Pravasi Kabaddi League (GI-PKL) will commence with men's matches on Friday, the opening day, and run for 13 days. The final is scheduled for April 30 here at the Multipurpose Hall of Gurugram University.
On April 18, an opening ceremony will take place in Gurugram, for which an invitation has been sent to the Haryana CM. Holistic International Pravasi Sports Association (HIPSA) President Kanthi D Suresh has penned a humble letter to the Haryana CM inviting him to the grand event.
"Keeping in mind the Hon'ble Prime Minister's announcement regarding hosting the Olympics in India, we have with pride taken up the responsibility of getting Kabaddi included as an Olympic sport and paving the way for India to win a historic Olympic gold medal in our indigenous sport," Kanthi D Suresh said in a letter to the Haryana CM.
"To realize the government's visionary initiative, we began an international Kabaddi training campaign and are now organizing the world's largest Kabaddi league, where male and female players from 10 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe will participate alongside Indian players."
"It is with great pride and honor that we cordially invite you to grace the occasion on April 18 at Gurugram University to declare the games open and celebrate the spirit of sports," she added.
The Kabaddi craze is already sweeping through the streets of India. From the bustling lanes of Delhi and Noida to the heart of Hyderabad and the coastline of Mumbai, GI-PKL is dominating public attention with an aggressive and eye-catching outdoor campaign.
Over 30 prominent billboards have been mounted across major cities like Delhi, NCR, Bareilly, Lucknow, Dehradun, Gorakhpur, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, creating a visual spectacle that's hard to miss. On the opening day, the League will run a one-day digital campaign at the iconic Times Square in New York.
Earlier in the day, the league schedule was announced. Each day, the League stage will feature three matches, all starting at 6:00 PM IST, and will be broadcast live on Sony Sports 3, DD Sports, and Fancode. The League stage will run until April 27, leading to the knockout rounds.
The men's semi-finals are scheduled for April 28, followed by the women's semi-finals on April 29. The tournament will culminate in the Grand Finals for both men's and women's categories on April 30, where the ultimate champions of the inaugural GI-PKL season will be crowned.
HIPSA's past initiatives underline its commitment to Kabaddi's global growth. In December 2023, HIPSA entered into an MOU with the Haryana State Government for global training in Kabaddi and in March 2024, HIPSA ensured the Sport of Kabaddi was included in the Guinness World Record in an event held in Panchkula's Tau Devilal Stadium.
This will be a first-of-its-kind initiative in Kabaddi, where women players will be playing alongside their male counterparts with representation from the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa.
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