Sports information of India

 

The most popular sport in India is cricket, Badminton, field hockey and kabaddi are also popular sports. Football is the second most popular sport in India, with its strongest following in northeast, Jammu and Kashmir in the north and along the coastal belt in states like West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. Cricket, football and kabaddi have an audience base of 612 million, 305 million and 208 million people, respectively. This means approx 42% of the Indian population follows cricket, 21% follows football and 14% follows kabaddi.

India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period, with Western sports having been imported during British rule. Cricket is currently the most popular spectator sport, it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League being the most-followed sports league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the group stage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Other popular sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, athletics and kho-kho. Sports such as golf, rugby, wrestling, boxing, motorsport, and basketball are also featured throughout the country.

India's diverse culture and people have influenced the wide variety of sports, with indigenous sports such as fighter kite and boat racing being popular in some regions. Other indigenous sports include chess, kho kho, polo and snooker, subject to location. Water sports, like scuba diving, boating, surfing, and kiteboarding, frequently appear in coastal areas. Professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) are popular among young audiences with some Indian wrestlers achieving international success. India has hosted the Cricket World Cup three times and won it twice(1983 and 2011) Field hockey is India's most successful sport at the Olympics with the Indian men's team winning thirteen Olympic medals, eight of which were gold. Although it is not considered a professional sport, cycling is a recreational activity and exercise in India.

Domestic professional commercial sports leagues in the country including Indian Premier League (Cricket) Women's Premier League (Cricket), Indian Super League (Football), I-League (Football), Indian Women's League (Football), Pro Kabbadi (Kabbadi), Hockey India League (Hockey), Premier Badminton League (Badminton), Ultimate Table Tennis League (Table Tennis), Premier Handball League (Handball), Prime Volleyball League (Volleyball) and Ultimate Kho Kho (Kho–Kho). The major international sporting events that are annually organised in India include the Indian Open (Golf), India Open (Badminton), and India Open (Table Tennis). Kabaddi, an indigenous sport, is widely regarded as one of the fastest growing sports in India, following the launch of the Indian domestic Pro Kabaddi League. The sport has garnered substantial television viewership, contributing to its popularity and elevating its monetary value. Women's sports have also grown in India, with professional leagues including the Women's Premier League and Women's Kabaddi League.

India has hosted several international sporting events, including editions of the Asian Games, South Asian Games; the 2010 Commonwealth Games and six Men's and four Women's cricket world championships. India has hosted four editions of the SAFF Championship SAFF Women's Championship in 2016, and one junior FIFA world for each gender in football. India will host the 2025 Women's World Cup, the 2026 T20 and the 2031 ODI Cricket World Cup.