Polo gets an arena on grass format

(life) Now Polo fans can also have a front row seat to non-stop sporting entertainment as sporting company ProSportify Ventures in collaboration with The Indian Polo Association has launched the first edition of official Indian Arena Polo League at the British High Commissioner's Polo Day, 2019 at the Jaipur Polo Grounds here.

The Indian Arena Polo League will have eight teams compete with each other inside an arena on grass as the league gets produced in HD TV and broadcast live across the world. The League fixtures will be played in a round-robin format and will have 28 matches across four consecutive weekends starting February 14, 2020. Each Franchisee will have top professionals from India and international playing for each of the teams. A team squad will comprise 6 players with four Indian and two international players.

The on-field playing team will have three players from the six-member squad with rolling substitutions to ensure that the matches move at a rapid, non-stop pace.

There will be prize money of Rs 3.5 crores, making it the richest Polo League in the world. The first season of the League will be played in Jaipur Polo Grounds Delhi and Rambagh Polo Ground, Jaipur. At the British High Commissioner's Polo Day, the League played its first exhibition match and introduced the arena on grass format which is a shorter format of the game, the fast-paced and exciting blend of professional polo with both Indian and international players.

The Adani Group, Naveen Jindal and Dinesh Pandey are the initial team owners. Owned and promoted by some of the Indian industry's legendary names like Naveen Jindal, who owns the Delhi team, Gujarat Team-owned by Adani Group, Jaipur by Dinesh Pandey, an NRI businessman-based in Singapore these teams will handpick their players at an auction slotted for January 2020.

Co-founder and promoter Kartikeya Sharma, who is also the force behind the Indian Badminton League, Pro Wrestling League and Indian Boxing League, the Polo League, like all other leagues will add a professional edge to the game historically played by royalty across the globe. Col. Tarun Sirohi, a former Captain of the Indian Polo Team and Commandant of 61 Cavalry is helming this project as the Co-Founder.

"After having built a successful league for a mass sport like Wrestling, I am really excited to foray into the other end of the spectrum, the super-luxury side. Polo is an Indian sport and I am really confident that it will attract the right team owners, sponsors, and viewers on TV. It's Polo time!" said Kartikeya Sharma, Founder and promoter, Indian Arena Polo League.

"We are going to fill the void created by the exit of F1 in India with a Lifestyle experience having fashion, Glamour and after Parties centered around the exciting sport of Polo", added Col Tarun Sirohi, former Captain, Indian Polo Team and Co-Founder, Indian Arena Polo League.

The league aims to showcase the fast, exciting and accessible nature of the sport for viewers and patrons alike. The new Arena on Grass format is made for TV and will be played on weekends and under floodlights. Fans will get to get an up-close and real feel of the action while watching the game from stands close to the action. The sporting event will be aired on Premiere Sports Channels namely Star Sports Select HD 2, Star Sports Select 2 and Hotstar and Pay TV to reach out to a wide fan base across the globe.

( With inputs from IANS )