Pakistan players invited for India’s kabaddi league

LAHORE: Chances of Pakistan players’ participation in India’s upcoming Global Kabaddi League (GKL) are quite bright.

This was stated by Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) Secretary General Rana Muhammad Sarwar in a telephonic conversation with ‘The News’ on Saturday.

Sarwar said GKL’s international coordinator Santokh Singh Mander approached the PKF and invited Pakistan players to feature in the circle style league scheduled to be held in three cities of Indian Punjab — Jalandhar, Mohali and Ludhiana — from October 14 to November 3.

“Receiving an invitation from a GKL official is definitely a major development and obviously this kind of development is imperative for the true growth of this game in the subcontinent,” he said.

Sarwar said Santokh Singh has termed participation of Pakistan players as a big attraction in the 2018 edition of the GKL.

“We have sent them data of 20 top players. However, their trip is subject to clearance from the government,” he said.

Sarwar hoped that both Pakistan and Indian governments will play their due role for the restoration of kabaddi and other sporting ties between the two countries.

“Our kabaddi players will get valuable professional experience and huge financial benefit by playing in the GKL. This kind of an international event can play a major role in further popularsing kabaddi in the region,” he added.

Answering a query, Sarwar said that Iranian kabaddi players have also been invited to play in the GKL. “Iran has improved a lot in recent years and now they are considered as a major force in world kabaddi,” he said.

Sarwar informed that he has the honour of introducing kabaddi in Iran in the 1990s. “Besides Iran, I have also coached Sri Lanka, Oman and Turkmenistan.”

About kabaddi’s rapid growth at the international level, Sarwar, who played over 300 international matches during his illustrious career spanning from 1979 to 2004, said kabaddi is an exciting and thrilling sport. “The swift fame of kabaddi can be gauged from the fact that Korea featured in the final of the Asian Games in Indonesia.”

Sarwar, who is also secretary general of the Asian Kabaddi Federation, said Pakistan also had a plenty of kabaddi talent. “Our team can produce even better results in international events if it is given sufficient opportunities to play against India and other leading teams of the world.”