Ultimate Kho Kho – Chennai Quick Guns Tamil News: A few years ago, Ultimate Go Go (UKK) CEO Tenzing Niyogi was in Ichalkaranji in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. When he went there for the festival, he saw a crowd of around one lakh people watching the go-go game held there. Then an idea struck him that with the right camera angles, this game could be designed in a way that no other game could be filmed. He also thought that this go-go game could be turned into the next kabaddi. Because Go Go game is the native game of Indians. These are mostly played at the grassroots level. So, the thought of making this a big powerful game at the national level flashed through Tenzing Neogi’s mind.
Last Sunday, Tenzing Neogi’s dream turned into reality as he woke up to a huge crowd at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune. The Ultimate Go Go League series started with six franchises namely Gujarat Giants, Telugu Yodas, Chennai Quick Guns, Rajasthan Warriors, Odisha Juggernauts and Mumbai Gilads. 143 players will compete in the 22-day tournament till September 4. The players placed in the A section of the contract for season 1 will be paid Rs. Teams have paid up to 5 lakhs.
6⃣ teams, 1⃣4⃣3⃣ players, 1⃣ mission ???? to take Kho Kho forward ????
Kuch aisa tha nazara jab aagaaz hua #UltimateKhoKho ke pehle season ka#IndiaButChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/FuUCFSF1WH
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) August 14, 2022
Tenzing Nioki’s initial idea was to build a dirt field into an indoor sports arena. But it ran into a problem they hadn’t thought of. That is the sweat from the players. The game of Go Go has historically been played on sand. And when the action gets intense, the players’ sweat can really make things muddy. Therefore, the entire body of the players can be seen mostly covered with soil.
Another issue was broadcast quality. Go Go is a fast paced game by nature and the camera angles need to be perfect. For this, Niyogi invited three companies to come forward. He almost ‘auditioned’ how they would produce a show. A live spider-camera was purchased. It was also announced that the game will be commented in multiple languages. They also roped in Sony as broadcaster. And they convinced Nioki to host a three-hour prime-time sports show rather than a two-hour event.
Trying to make the transition from playing the game on clay to mats is also a challenge for the players. Hailing from Delhi, Vishal plays as a 22-year-old defender for Odisha Juggernauts. Speaking about this, he said, “The transition from clay to mats has forced everyone to level up their game. You don’t need to use too much force on the sand. But now on the mound, we have to be extra careful as the chances of injuries are increased. Even our diets are changed to suit the rigorous demands of the sport. On dirt, your ankle doesn’t get enough grip for your body to adjust fast enough. So it won’t twist, but there’s that risk on the mats.” He said that.
Poetry in motion ✍️
With just ✌️ seconds to go, @TeluguYoddhas managed to get 2⃣ more points and put @ChnQuickGuns under pressure, was our #MomentofTheMatch ????#CQGvTY #UltimateKhoKho #IndiaButChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/p7Y1dVlAcl
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) August 14, 2022
How is the UK going to cope?
While such issues pose a major threat to Ultimate Go Go (UKK), sports leagues in India in general, barring the Indian Premier League and the Pro Kabaddi League, most of the leagues in the country have not been well-received by fans and have faced various disappointments. As a result, leagues such as the Indian Volleyball League and the Pro Basketball League have been replaced or are about to be replaced by new models. Clubs of the Indian Super League (Soccer) are struggling to keep up with the financial demands given to them by the league. Watching Roger Federer play in New Delhi during the now-closed International Premier Tennis League remains a pipe dream at this point.
A low starting base
In this scenario, UKK has gone the kabaddi route. Less money has changed the focus on expanding grassroots coverage in franchisees’ respective territories and more emphasis on growing the business.
Rohan Kore’s dismissal was the #MomentOfTheMatch which changed the game completely in the favour of @GujaratGiants ????#GiantsArmyhow did you like this move? ????#MKvGG #UltimateKhoKho #IndiaButChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/7Qjgaqy9ol
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) August 14, 2022
Tenzing Nyogi Nyogi likes to describe UKK as critical factors in Nyogi’s success. He also believes that go-go is an indigenous game already known to the Indian people. (“Has the best level of emotional involvement in the audience.”). It had little room for change in design (“Not every game can be modified or changed, but Go-Go can.”). There was the matter of India’s love of team sports (“Individual sports are wonderful but the stagnation of an Olympic event makes the athlete disappear from the public eye.”).
A growing club culture
When Nioki pitched the Go-Go League idea to investors, he was clear about a few factors. There will not be any quick returns and investors may face some losses in the initial stages. He also told them that the game will target women as a large part of their audience.
“Till now, it is the only sport in India which is more popular among women than men. Even though Ultimate Go Go is a men’s league, from Zila Parishad level to college level, it is a huge market to tap from an audience perspective.” (There are plans to start a women’s league in two years, Tensing says.)
But the lineup of franchises shows where the sports business is headed in India. Adani Group acquired Gujarat Giants. It also has a team with the same name in PKL. GMR Group has already bought the UP Yodas team in PKL. Now it has bought the Telugu Yodas team in the Go Go League. They also have a significant investment as co-owners of the Delhi Capitals IPL team along with the JSW Group.
6⃣ teams, 1⃣4⃣3⃣ players, 1⃣ mission ???? to take Kho Kho forward ????
Kuch aisa tha nazara jab aagaaz hua #UltimateKhoKho ke pehle season ka#IndiaButChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/FuUCFSF1WH
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) August 14, 2022
Despite having some big names as part of Ultimate Go Go (UKK), the league’s players are suddenly in the spotlight. Take the case of Vishal, who had to take up night jobs and part-time jobs to keep up with the game. Despite being mocked by neighbors for playing a sport that didn’t earn him much, and seeing friends overtake his earnings by playing other sports, the freedom provided by his family kept him going Go-Go.
“During the Corona lockdown, I was working night shift at Mother Dairy. I work from 6pm to 4am. I was paid Rs 12,000 for loading and unloading heavy packages. I go to the park in the morning to practice and then go home to sleep.” Go Go player Vishal said.
Now, Vishal works part-time as a delivery executive at Amazon. The part-time status gives him more time to practice. But the game is still in its infancy. He plans to drop the packages after season 1 of UKK. But if Niyogi’s vision of making the rural game a national behemoth and the vision of the multinationals that have invested in it comes to fruition, people like Vishal will achieve their dream of playing go-go as a full-time professional. The day when that dream will come true is not far away.
Doosre match ke Starting 1⃣2⃣ hain ready
Here’s how @ChnQuickGuns and @TeluguYoddhas are lined up for their first-ever match ????
Who’s side are you on? ⚔️#CQGvTY #UltimateKhoKho #IndiaButChalaang #AbKhoHoga #KhoKho pic.twitter.com/we740hOvvR
— Ultimate Kho Kho (@ultimatekhokho) August 14, 2022
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