Buoyed by movies like ‘Dangal’ and ‘Sultan’ and the performance of wrestlers like the Phogat sisters, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, the sport of wrestling has got a fresh lease of life outside its traditional areas. Recognising the growing interest in the sport, MWCL Sports LLP and Maharashtra State Wrestling Association along with Colors Marathi have announced the launch of Kusti Champions League – Apla Banda, Khel Zinda.
Kusti Champions Leagues (KCL) will serve as a mega platform for the sport by inspiring and creating opportunities for local Maharashtrian players in the field. With a purpose of bringing out the true spirit of wrestling, Kusti Champions League aims to create awareness on professional Kusti. Organised by MWCL Sports LLP in association with Maharashtra State Wrestling Association, the live telecast of Kusti Champions League will be aired exclusively on Colors Marathi and Voot. The League will premiere on October 7, 2018 and conclude its inaugural season with a grand finale on October 28, 2018.
Radio City has come aboard as the official Radio Partner for Kusti Champion League Season 1.
Speaking on the launch of Kusti Champions League, Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18, said, “Kusti or wrestling as it is popularly known today, happens to be one of India’s oldest sports and is a sport which requires skill, strength, strategy and determination. Even today, Kusti continues to be played with great zest and passion and is a popular source of entertainment for people in towns and villages. While Indian wrestlers have been doing us proud in international arenas, we believe it is about time that Kusti gets its due recognition and popularity. With this endeavour in mind we have collaborated with the Kusti Champions League to air these matches on Colors Marathi, thereby bringing the excitement of kusti into millions of homes across Maharashtra. Moreover, Colors Marathi, with its strong equity, deep cultural roots and history of innovative programming, is the perfect platform for this sport to find the audience it truly deserves.”
Pushkaraj Kelkar, Founder of Kusti Champions League, commented, “To uplift the sport further with an international approach towards mat wrestling, Kusti Champions League collectively aims to bring contenders from 6 regions of Maharashtra on one platform and establish them as strong contenders for Olympic 2020. We want to take wrestling to every nook and corner of Maharashtra, give it the deserved fame and subsequently, create an international platform for the sport.”
Balasaheb Langde, General Secretary, of Maharashtra State Wrestling Association & Maharashtra Olympic Association, added here, “Kusti, the most ancient sport of Maharashtra will now be presented to the audience through Colors Marathi. Prior to this, Kabaddi has been viewed in league format, which was a commercial success for both the players and organisers. Similarly, to ensure that this Kusti League is a successful initiative, we would require the support of the people of India. This League will play a vital role in the player’s morale for the 2020 Olympics. Through this league we invite all the positive suggestions that can be incorporated. We give our best regards to all the players and teams participating in this league.”
“Wrestling has been one historical sport that has always contributed to India’s sporting prowess, and we are proud to be associated at the state level to take it into the next phase of upliftment and are keenly looking at least 5 medals from state at the 2020 Olympics. Kusti Champion League is committed to bringing out the best from the state’s best,” said Pradeep Iyengar, COO of Kusti Champions League.
KCL will be played by 6 teams – Jigarbaaz Nashik, Kolhapur Shahu, Jaabaaz Aurangabad, Narveer Nagpur, Zunzaar Pune, and Ranayoddha Mumbai – consisting of 72 players in total. KCL has selected over 300 players from across Maharashtra for an auction process for the 6 teams. Each team will consist of 8 men and 4 women who are professionally trained in Kusti. The cities participating in KCL are Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Kolhapur. The league is structured with 6 weight categories – 4 categories for men and 2 for women. A total of 90 matches across 21 days will be played on mat and soil at Balevadi Stadium, Pune in Maharashtra. The exclusive telecast of all matches will be available on Colors Marathi from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm starting October 7, 2018.
In conversation with Adgully, Ravish Kumar, Head – Regional Entertainment, Viacom18, speaks about the strategy behind launching Kushti Champions League.
What is the agenda behind associating with the Kusti Champions League?
The answer is very simple; if you go back and read the history you will find that Kushti was very prevalent in Maharashtra. It’s there at a very grassroot level and it has been practised through the years. And, with so many movies like ‘Dangal’ and sports medals coming in now, it is getting the kind of prominence it deserves.
So, as a channel, Colors Marathi has a responsibility not just to entertain, but also to educate our viewers and this is a part of our deep tradition. With KCL, we will try to bring Kushti out from the ‘akhadas’ into everybody’s homes. Colors Marathi is a deeply rooted channel and we felt that it is great fit for Voot as well.
What kind of growth do you envisage with KCL in the Colors Marathi viewership graph?
Honestly, I don’t know. It’s the first time that we are doing something like this with a regional channel because normally sports channels have tried this. We see an opportunity and right things for our viewers and we don’t think too much about the ratings.
Will you extend such sports leagues in other states as well?
I think sports as a whole is a genre that needs a lot of respect and that has started to happen. Now, every day we find gold, silver and bronzes everywhere. We will continue to look across the world for opportunities where we can bring meaningful things which are rooted and can get easily connected with the viewers.
What kind of innovations you are planning around this initiative?
We want to promote this particularly in the state of Maharashtra for now. And depending on how the viewership picks up, we may decide to go ahead with the language dubs and feeds later on.
Are there any other sports you are planning to associate with?
I think any grassroot sports is a great thing to do. Because at the end of day, it’s all about educating and encouraging people. We always look for opportunities not just in the field of sports but entertainment and reality as well.
Who are the advertisers on board for the Kusti Champions League?
We are still in the process of selling it, hence it is too premature for me to comment on it. We are seeing a lot of interest from all the big FMCG companies as well as a lot of local advertisers.
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