India is a home to different types of passions and obsessions and sports is one of the major obsessions for thousands of India. It has always managed to grab the attention of a huge segment of the population. The popularity of sports in India has never been down. So, here we are going to talk about the top 5 most popular sports in India that have created an impact in the mind of every Indian:
1 Cricket: No other sport can ever match the popularity of cricket in India. As we say, cricket in India is not a sport but it is a religion. The reason behind this popularity is that India is home to some of the most popular cricketers in the world including Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. Thousands of Indian sleep every day with the dream to become a cricketer only because they idolize these great personalities. Also, India has a huge number of stadiums when national and international matches take place on a regular basis. Whenever there’s a match, thousands of Indians from different corners of the country rush to the stadiums to watch their favorite players play.
2 Football: Football is one such sport that is an enigma in India. Although football is not played on an international level, there are hundreds of national teams in India that have thousands of followers. The popularity of football is not as great as cricket only because there aren’t a lot of football stadiums in India. Also, the popularity of cricket is such that it has overshadowed football. It also lacks enough sponsors. However, efforts are being made to give football a very important position in India.
3 Kabaddi: Kabaddi is the national sport of India. It has been played in India for years now. It has also gained massive popularity in the last few years because of the rise of the Pro-Kabaddi League which is played annually across various states in India. Because of this league, Kabaddi has established a huge viewer base. Kabaddi was initially a sport of the rural areas. Even today, it is largely popular in underdeveloped areas. India and Iran are the top 2 nations for Kabaddi. India also won the Kabaddi World Cups till 2017.
4 Badminton: Badminton has been a sport of interest among the citizens of India. However, success on the international level hasn’t been much. India has a number of popular badminton players including Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. They have won a lot of prizes in the London Olympics and Rio games. Because of their contributions, hundreds of other Indians are also aspiring to become international badminton players. The government is also taking up the initiative to support the badminton players of the country.
5 Hockey: Hockey has always been another very popular sport in India. India is also home to a lot of world-famous hockey players. The Hockey India League is one of the most popular hockey leagues in the country. This league has encouraged thousands of Indians to regain their interest in hockey.
So, these were the 5 most popular sports in India. If you are a sports lover, you must be well aware of all these sports. Also, do let us know if we missed out on any other popular sport.
