Sport is increasingly enjoyed in India, either on the field or digitally, by taking advantage of online casino bonuses. Although cricket is the most played sport in the country, many others are gaining more popularity every day. With original and peculiar games like Kabaddi or Kho Kho, the sporting environment has gained a growing number of fans, leading India to outstanding achievements, even at the world level.
Cricket
Cricket is, in fact, India’s most popular sport, forming an essential part of its culture. Being a relatively simple game with just a bat and a ball to play, from children on the streets of India to the best Indian cricketers in the world, most Indians enjoy playing this game.
The Indian Premier League is India’s most popular sporting event, with eight teams from eight different Indian cities competing for the trophy and millions of spectators watching. The IPL attracts the world’s largest audience at 120 million as a cricket league.
Cricket is also one of the largest sports betting markets in the world, almost on the level of football. Due to its popularity many gambling sites will also tempt cricket fans with an enticing online casino bonus to cross-sell them over to another product. There are estimated to be about a billion cricket fans worldwide, and India has over 90% of them.
Football
Football is considered the second most popular sport in India and the second most watched game. Although the Indian football team did not achieve great success at the international level, it had a much more notable impact on the internal market. Football is increasingly followed by Indians, who currently have four leagues and several annual tournaments.
However, India had the famous golden years of football in the 1950s and early 1960s, winning the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games. India’s most successful and prolific footballer is Sunil Chhetri, captain of Bengaluru FC and the Indian national football team. Currently, Chhetri is the third-highest international scorer among active players after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Despite being India’s second most popular sport, there is still a big difference between cricket and football regarding viewership, players and success.
Kabaddi
Kabaddi is a game that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is now one of the country’s most loved games for all generations. Although its origin is a bit of a mystery, most sources say that the sport was created over 5,000 years ago in India during the Kurukshetra War as a form of self-defence. Today is played between two teams, where the objective is for one team to cross the opposing court without being brought down by the defenders.
The game is so popular that in 2014 the Pro Kabaddi League was created, and it gained a massive number of followers and spectators. The first season of PKL attracted 435 million viewers. Also, The Pro Kabaddi League has attracted more Indian viewers than the recent World Cup.
The ancient game of Kabaddi is not only one of the most growing sports in India but is also the national sport of Nepal and Bangladesh since the International Kabaddi Federation was formed in 2004.
Apart from these, India is also deeply into sports like badminton and hockey. With all its mysticism, culture and ethnicity, some sports have kept their roots, like Kalari, Snake Boat and Kho Kho. Despite being internal sports, they do not lose their strength in the local sports practice and carry a spiritual harmony between the competitors. They find peace and feel like family in the teams.
