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What's the story?
The finals of the inaugural Women's Pro Kabaddi League, held in memory of Swami Nemichand, were held on December 14 and it was team Haryana that stood first place defeating Madhya Pradesh 25-17.
The competition was held between the 12th and 14th December and a total of 14 teams representing each state participated in the event. The tournament was held in Sajangarh, Rajasthan and the winning team was awarded Rs. 11,000 as cash prize.
In case you didn't know...
The Women's Pro Kabaddi League is different from the Women's Kabaddi Challenge, which was earlier conducted simultaneously with the Pro Kabaddi League.
Women's Kabaddi Challenge was an adaption from the popular Men's Pro Kabaddi League. It started in 2016 and Storm Queens won the inaugural Women's Kabaddi Challenge defeating Fire Birds 24-23 in the final in July 2016.
The heart of the matter
Team Haryana showcased a dominant performance throughout the tournament. Athletes from Ganaur, Jind and Sonepat were a part of the winning team.
The team, comprised of Renu Dahiya, Sakshi Hooda, Surbhi Lathwal, Anjali Dahiya, Punita, Jyoti and Tanu, under the guidance of their coach, Rakesh Dahiya reached the final and subsequently ended up victorious.
What's next?
It remains to be seen if the second edition of the Pro Kabaddi League can be organised on a bigger scale. The organisers will have to get sponsors for that to happen and with the popularity of Kabaddi rising courtesy the men's Pro Kabaddi League, it won't be surprising if women's kabaddi leagues also start getting the recognition they deserve.
Author's take
In a cricket crazy country like India, kabaddi has grown at a rapid pace in recent years. The Pro Kabaddi League (Men's) has certainly been a huge success since its inception and will the women's adaption of the same and other women's leagues also be equally popular? Time will tell.
