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Having been named after a pioneering mountaineer, Ultimate Kho Kho League CEO Tenzing Niyogi isn’t afraid of scaling new heights.
In the land of cricket, Niyogi is instead betting big on an indigenous team sport that is, at best, a faint childhood memory for most of us.
The inaugural season of Ultimate Kho Kho League is underway in Balewadi, Pune, with six participating teams - Rajasthan Warriors, Telugu Yodhas, Chennai Quick Guns, Gujarat Giants, Odisha Juggernauts, and Mumbai Khiladis.
Ultimate Kho Kho: Backed by research & industry bigwigs
Pune being the venue of Ultimate Kho Kho League Season 1 is no coincidence, considering kho kho’s traditional popularity in Maharashtra.
Even the team names are inspired.
Take Odisha Juggernauts, for instance, a clever nod to Lord Jagannath, the venerable Hindu deity worshipped prominently in the eastern state.
“If you see the Odisha Juggernaut logo, you will see the ‘O’ of Odisha is actually the Jagannath’s eye…and a beautiful thing is that when they do their huddle, they scream out kheench, kheench, kheench (pull, pull, pull) which is [the same call they make while] pulling the rath yatra,” Niyogi says, in an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda.com.
It is this meticulous research and planning over the last four years that Niyogi is bringing to bear – coupled with the backing of an eclectic mix of respected industry bigwigs (like Dabur India Chairman Amit Burman, Adani and GMR Group), state governments (Odisha, in collaboration with ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India), entertainers (rapper Badshah & film producer Punit Balan) and other corporate conglomerates (Capri Global and KLO Sports) – to craft an intriguing sports property.
While Burman is promoting the entire league, the rest own each of the six individual franchises.
“All these deals are a 20-year deal. They are all here for the next two decades, to build and develop Ultimate Kho Kho into a spectacle, into a grand successful league,” Niyogi says, highlighting the long-term commitment of the League’s promoters and franchise owners.
Ultimate Kho Kho’s rule modifications
“Largely kho kho is understood by people. It’s a run and chase model,” Niyogi says.
Nevertheless, the rules have been suitably modified to make it more attractive to both the TV and in-stadia spectators.
“We’ve tried to retain the originality of kho kho as much as possible. One change is that it used to be a nine man team, now it is a seven man team, which effectively gives us…from a length of the court perspective, we shortened it by two metres. What it did was it gave us a beautiful camera angle from top.”
“The second thing that we did was every person who gets a kho in orthodox [format], once you get a kho you can either run left or right, but we’ve introduced a character called Wazir, literally living up to his namesake on the chess board. Wazir, when he gets a kho can run right and left. That changed the complete dynamics of the sport because suddenly the sport started accumulating 35-40% extra points, and games started becoming closer,” he adds.
“On top of the Wazir inclusion, another inclusion that has happened is that kho kho is played as a cricket test match. It is first innings for both teams, halftime and second innings for both teams. In all the innings there is a concept of power play where two Wazirs come into the play and then the game just changes its avatar completely. So earlier when the scoring used to be maybe 18-19 odd for both the teams, now the scores are hitting about 55-60. That just builds up the overall atmosphere.”
Regular on-air and in-stadia initiatives are being undertaken to educate viewers and spectators on these rule modifications.
Women’s league soon
Significantly, many of the in-stadia spectators are women, underlining the unique reality of kho kho as a mixed gender sport in schools. Niyogi is well aware of this fact.
“A Women’s League is in the pipeline. We have the long term rights to the men’s league, women’s league and grassroots leagues as well. As Sportzsquare Ventures Pvt Ltd, we own these rights for the next two decades.,” Niyogi says.
With kho kho being played across the Indian sub-continent as well as countries like England, South Africa and Korea, there are also plans to draft foreign players in the coming seasons.
Challenges remain
Over the last decade, multiple non-cricket sporting leagues have come and gone, a trend not lost on Niyogi. Nevertheless, the former Hindu College cricket captain is hopeful that viewership numbers for Ultimate Kho Kho Season 1 will be “good”, and the League will eventually break even and turn profitable.
“When you create a League, the larger perspective still remains that you have to create a good product on air. Numbers do follow eventually. What is important is that is the product sticky enough for a consumer. Does it have the capability to retain viewers on air, and is it a compelling format, which is a one hour appointment viewing format. And I think those boxes have been ticked in my mind. So I am very glad just the way the product is coming out on air, it’s fabulous.”
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Ultimate Kho Kho League is airing daily from 7pm onwards on Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten 1– English, Sony Ten 3 – Hindi & Marathi, Sony Ten 4 – Telugu & Sony LIV)
