Kabaddi was the national sport of Nepal, even though it was not written anywhere. After volleyball was officially listed as the national sport of Nepal, Kabaddi has disappeared from the national game of Nepali dialect.

"We are trying to give recognition to Nepal's kabaddi," said Amit Kumar, explaining why he organized the Nepal Kabaddi League (NKL) for the first time. He is the head of Astronics Management, the organizer of NKL. He was also giving reasons for organizing a franchise league of Kabaddi because it is popular in South Asia.

Since the women's team won a historic bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games 2022 (Hangzhou), the discussion of kabaddi in Nepal has started again. Kabaddi is not a very popular sport in Nepal. However, the first edition of the NKL with an investment of crores is starting on Friday in the covered hall at Dashrath Rangshala.

According to the concept of the franchise team competition, 6 teams from 6 cities will compete in kabaddi until 18th of January. Begani said in a business sense, 'This is not business, it is purely to promote the country's identity. Kabaddi is for development. NKL can make Nepali Kabaddi professional and it has been invested for this purpose.'

Begani, who is running the professional group 'Begani Group' which emerged from Biratnagar, also said that three crore rupees more will be spent on the project of the first edition. He added about the investment made at a time when kabaddi competitions are rarely held, "When we used to play kabaddi, we used to call it a national game. Our future can be made in games. NPL (Nepal Premier League Cricket) has created a good environment for franchise leagues in other sports. Volleyball and football are also doing well. I have also seen the future in Kabaddi. Mentioning that the speed of development and expansion increased after other sports were given priority, Begani said that during the research on the preparation of NKL, the fact that 20-25 thousand more kabaddi players were found in Nepal also inspired him to come here. 

A game suitable for geography

'Kabaddi is more popular in Terai and West, it is also played in Kathmandu and this game is suitable for geography in South Asia,' he said, 'Kabaddi is the most watched game in India after cricket, it has surpassed football. India is the second largest country in Kabaddi after Iran, our players should also be able to play in India. We are organizing NKL to create an environment for that. And when playing for the country, the heart is strong, the team is strong.'

He spoke again about the difficult investment in NKL, 'The way to return the investment is a passion or satisfaction. Another economic one. Which of these two sides to take? 1-2 years is an investment for the league. Investment will come in some way.' He also said that six teams of NKL have been sold by connecting them with corporate houses and that the team's ownership will be made public.

10-year agreement

According to Begani, each franchise team has been sold for 35 lakh rupees. Astronics Management has entered into a 10-year agreement with the All Nepal Kabaddi Association and brought the NKL project to Sanghar. Begani says that although the agreement with the association was signed last year, the project has been delayed due to the preparation of everything. 

"The mixture of all sports is found in Kabaddi, which is short-sweet, can be played in 40 minutes," Begani said, "We have to raise the level of Nepali Kabaddi." Attraction does not increase without leveling up. It should be able to reach the world level. That is why we are investing without any compromise to make NKL standard. This investment is purely for the development and promotion of Nepali Kabaddi.' 

He himself has played many sports including squash, badminton, table tennis for a long time. He also said that they are training the franchise team and technical personnel by bringing a technical director, mentor and 6 coaches from the Pro Kabaddi League of India. Nepali National Men's Team Captain Ghanshyam Roka Magar along with some players are experienced in Pro Kabaddi League. Ghanshyam, who spent the last two seasons with the Haryana Steelers, recently came to Kathmandu to play in the NKL after becoming the Pro Kabaddi League champion.

84 players

All team coaches and marquee players of NKL have been in closed training for two weeks now. In NKL, 6 teams have taken 66 Nepali and 18 foreign players from the draft. Each team has 14 players. The number of foreign players in a team is from two to four people. 6 players from Thailand, 6 from Bangladesh, 3 from Sri Lanka and 3 from the African country Kenya are playing in the NKL.