An exclusive interview with Sambhav Jain, Director and Founder of SJ Uplift Kabaddi Private Limited
In this exclusive interview, we speak with Sambhav Jain, the visionary Director and Founder of SJ Uplift Kabaddi Private Limited.
With a passion for promoting Kabaddi, Sambhav shares his insights on the sport’s evolution, the challenges faced, and his ambitious plans to elevate Kabaddi to new heights in India and beyond.
Can you share your journey in the sports industry and what inspired you to focus on kabaddi as a key area for development?
Sambhav Jain: My journey began as a cricketer, representing India at various youth levels and later playing in the U-22 BCCI Trophy. In 2009, I launched my first sports company focused on grassroots cricket, organizing over 100 tournaments and working with international coaches.
My work later expanded to various state football associations like Sikkim, Goa, and Bengal, and I also had the opportunity to serve as Director of Cricket in Russia. Kabaddi drew my attention because it’s fast, rooted in Indian culture, and second only to cricket in viewership.
I saw a huge opportunity to structure and scale it professionally. With growing corporate and global interest, kabaddi felt like the next big leap in Indian sports; raw, untapped, and ready for transformation.
How do you define the role of WSKL (World Super Kabaddi League) and UPKL (Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League) in promoting kabaddi as a cultural sport?
Sambhav Jain: Kabaddi is more than just a game; it’s woven into our cultural roots, a sport born from our soil and carried forward by the spirit of the people.
It’s fast-paced, high-energy, and can be played and understood by anyone, regardless of language. In just 40 minutes, kabaddi delivers pure excitement and emotional connection, making it truly a people’s sport.
The World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL) is designed to take kabaddi global. It focuses on international storytelling, global participation, and positioning the sport with worldwide appeal.
With over 20 countries already playing kabaddi, WSKL is about uniting that international interest under one premium, professional platform.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League (UPKL) is rooted in regional pride. It focuses on uplifting local talent, promoting kabaddi at the grassroots level, and building strong community engagement.
Together, WSKL and UPKL are two pillars—one strengthening kabaddi at the base, and the other elevating it to the world stage.
As a leading voice in grassroots sports development, what initiatives are you implementing to nurture young talent in kabaddi?
Sambhav Jain: We’re creating a full-spectrum kabaddi ecosystem, from grassroots to pro. This includes expanding league structures, scouting talent from remote areas, and setting up structured training with modern coaching and education.
We’re building partnerships with academies, promoting players through media to make kabaddi aspirational, and planning a high-performance academy with world-class facilities.
Our aim is clear: transform raw talent into global athletes and create a pathway from village grounds to international arenas.
Our focus is on building a strong and sustainable ecosystem for kabaddi talent development across all levels. Here are some of the key initiatives we’re implementing:
Kabaddi has deep cultural roots in India. How do you plan to leverage this cultural significance to promote kabaddi on a global scale?
Sambhav Jain: Kabaddi is more than just a sport—it’s a story of strength, resilience, and community. We want to share real stories from India through kabaddi.
By showcasing its cultural richness, energy, and emotional connection, we believe international audiences will find something unique and relatable in it. Our content strategy focuses on storytelling as much as competition.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in transforming kabaddi into a global sport, and how are you addressing them?
Sambhav Jain: Transforming kabaddi into a global sport comes with unique challenges, but we see them as opportunities for growth. Lack of Tournament & Player Data is the challenge as there’s currently limited centralized data on players, matches, and performance.
We’re working on creating digital platforms to collect and manage this data to improve scouting, analysis, and player visibility.
Can you share any successful partnerships or collaborations that have significantly impacted the growth of kabaddi?
Sambhav Jain: We have built some powerful partnerships that have played a major role in the growth and visibility of kabaddi. For UPKL (Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League), we secured Sony TV as the main broadcaster, which gave the league nationwide reach.
We also brought in strong commercial partners like Bingo as the title sponsor and Ghadi as the powered-by partner. These collaborations not only brought credibility but also helped drive fan engagement and commercial viability.
On the global front, for the World Super Kabaddi League (WSKL), we have the support of the International Kabaddi Federation and backing from 20 international kabaddi-playing countries.
This has been a game-changer in positioning kabaddi as a truly international sport and building a global network around it.
These strategic partnerships—both on the media and federation side—have been critical in professionalizing the sport and taking it to new audiences across India and the world.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make a mark in the sports industry, particularly in niche sports like kabaddi?
Sambhav Jain: Back what truly matters, authenticity. If you believe in the sport, even if it’s niche like kabaddi, that belief has to show up in your actions. Start at the grassroots. Build something real, something lasting, before chasing scale.
Don’t wait for the ecosystem to come to you; create it yourself. It takes hustle, innovation, and a constant connection with the community you’re building for. That’s where real impact starts.
Sambhav Jain’s dedication to Kabaddi is evident in his innovative approach and unwavering commitment.
As SJ Uplift Kabaddi continues to grow, his vision promises to inspire a new generation of athletes and fans, ensuring that Kabaddi remains a vibrant and integral part of India’s sporting landscape.
| Are you an
Entrepreneur or Startup? Do you have a Success Story to Share? SugerMint would like to share your success story. We cover entrepreneur Stories, Startup News, Women entrepreneur stories, and Startup stories
|
Explore Success story of Indian entrepreneurs & startups at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn