India has more than an impressive 1.4 billion inhabitants, which explains why the country has so many sports enthusiasts. Although not very well known internationally in terms of sports, India has many top athletes and sports in which they excel. We’ve put together a list of the three most popular and largest sports in the country here!
Cricket – an outright winner
The biggest sport in India is, without a doubt, cricket. There are thousands of Indians who both practice and watch the sport, and India has even won the Cricket World Cup twice! That said, cricket is by far the most widespread sport in the country. And since the Indian Premier League (IPL), a domestic T20 cricket league, began to be arranged in 2008, the sport has grown exponentially.
During major cricket events like the IPL, Indians and people from around the world can enjoy the sport on their terms. And thanks to the ever-increasing use of smartphones in the country, residents can now do things like bet on the games on the Betway mobile app on-demand.
Kabaddi – the national sport of Bangladesh
Another very famous sport among Indians and in other parts of South and Southwest Asia is Kabaddi, the national sport of Bangladesh.
Kabaddi is played both indoors and outdoors and consists of two teams of seven players each, where the goal is to wrestle with each other in an attempt to beat their opponents. The two teams are called Antis, the defenders, and Raiders, the strikers.
A rather odd sport for outsiders, but a very popular martial art in India that is even organized within a major league, Pro Kabaddi, the most viewed sports league in the country after the IPL!
Field hockey – India’s national game
Field hockey is a sport that’s organized worldwide but was mainly dominant in India during the 20th century. Nowadays, it’s not as popular anymore, at least not compared to cricket or kabaddi. However, India’s government, sports ministry, and state departments are trying to make the sport more popular again because it’s important for Indian culture.
Field hockey is the national sport of India, but many believe that cricket will soon take its spot, not least because the popularity of cricket has exploded in recent years. As with cricket, field hockey has its origins in the old colonial regime and thus has a long history as the national sport of the country.
