Its first two editions witnessed celebrities across various fields come out and cheer, and now, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is all set to kickstart Season 3 with one of the nation’s heart throbs as one of its brand ambassadors. Rana Daggubati, Telugu actor, and the lead of one of Indian cinema’s biggest hits Bahubali will lend his glamour to the League, which begins at Vizag on January 30, 2016.Daggubati is not only a sensation in the South, particularly the Telugu film industry, but is now also a popular face in Bollywood thanks to a spate of hit films in the past five years. The new face of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi will promote the sport and league across mediums to millions of kabaddi enthusiasts, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where the league is a big hit and has a very deep and widespread fan support for the local team and their Kabaddi heroes.
With less than 10 days to go for the third edition of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi to begin, Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India said, “The first two seasons of the league saw an overwhelming response from TV viewers, stadium spectators and sports enthusiasts. With season 3 we will scale up our reach and keep raising the league’s value for viewers, players and franchises through high-end production, marketing, communication and grassroots programme. The fact that Kabaddi is now the country’s second most viewed sport, second only to cricket, brings us great pride. There is a growing passion for the sport and this success helps us in our goal of encouraging sporting talent and nurturing heroes. One of our brand ambassadors for Season 3, Rana Daggubati, lends his bold, powerful image to Star Sports Pro Kabaddi for Season 3. With his pan-India popularity, we hope the association will aid our goal of fostering a multi-sport culture in the country.”
Excited about his new role, Rana Daggubati said, “I am extremely happy to be associated with Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. For me Kabaddi has always been a fun sport growing up and excited that Star India has pushed the envelope in promoting the sport and making it even more popular in this new format. I’m particularly excited to meet the amazingly talented players as I am also their fan. This will be a great experience!”
K. Madhavan, President – South, Star India said, “Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has been an emotional journey for us and it is a matter of pride that the league has been extremely well received in our regional markets with spectacular numbers and has led to the numerous Kabaddi fans cheering for their local heroes. Season 3 of the league promises to be only bigger and better and we look forward to this association with Rana Daggubati.”
Like the last season, this time too, the national anthem’s renditions promise to be a feature on each match day. These will be performed by icons from the film and music industry, sportspersons and local musicians and bands, philanthropists and people who have changed the society for the better. Rana Daggubati will be performing the National Anthem during one of days of the opening leg of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi in Vizag.
The game will reach out to significant clusters of populations through broadcast in four languages, i.e., English, Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. Star Sports Star Sports Pro Kabaddi will also be broadcasted globally to audience in over 100 countries, including United States, United Kingdom, Middle East and Latin America.
Star Sports Pro Kabaddi, which is promoted by Mashal Sports and Star India with the backing of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and International Kabaddi Federation, will feature a total of 138 players across 8 teams.
The action begins in Vizag on January 30, with defending champions U Mumba taking on home team Telugu Titans. The playoffs will take place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on the March 4 and 5, 2016 with the largest indoor setup in the history of the league.
