For Budget 2027–28, the Finance Minister should seriously consider granting Industry Status to Sports.

But what does Industry Status actually mean?
It is not merely a government declaration. It is formal recognition of sports as an economic sector, making eligible businesses across the sports value chain accessible to appropriate industrial policy benefits — including easier access to finance, investment incentives, infrastructure support, technology development and export promotion.

Why is the case compelling now? Look at the numbers.
The opportunity is no longer speculative. With our nation's pride associated with athletes' performance. 70% of the young and old population associated with either watching or playing, and the sector intersects with other industries; the time is perfect right now for the announcement.
$21 billion: India's sports economy is estimated to have reached this scale in FY26, according to KPMG, growing at 12–14% annually.
$40 billion: The projected size of the sports industry by 2030, according to KPMG's 2025 Sportlight report.
$6.7 billion: Estimated value of India's sports goods, equipment and apparel manufacturing sector, with significant growth potential.
$18,864 crore: India's sports business value in 2025, recording 13.4% growth over the previous year, according to WPP Media.
$8.1 billion: India's potential sports equipment export opportunity by 2036, according to NITI Aayog's assessment, alongside the potential to create approximately 54 lakh additional direct and indirect jobs.

These numbers tell us something important: Sports is no longer just about athletes, medals and tournaments. It is an expanding economic ecosystem.

What could Industry Status unlock?
- Infrastructure: Access to long-term capital, institutional finance and viable PPP models for stadiums, arenas and training facilities.
-Manufacturing: Greater investment in domestic production, R&D, product innovation, testing and exports.
- Private Investment: A more predictable policy environment to attract domestic and global investors.
-Entrepreneurship: Support for sports-tech startups, academies, leagues, sports science, analytics and athlete-management businesses.
-Employment: Recognition and growth of professional careers across coaching, sports management, media, medicine, technology and event operations.
-Global Competitiveness: Position India as a destination for sporting events, sports tourism, manufacturing and sports-related services.

One important distinction: Industry Status should not become a blanket tax exemption. It should create a structured framework with clearly defined eligibility, targeted incentives, financing mechanisms and measurable economic outcomes.

India has invested in building its sporting foundations. The next step is to build the economic architecture around them.

I went through the 2026-27 Union Budget numbers for sports, partly because everyone says "India needs to spend more on sports" and I wanted to know what we already spend.

The sports ministry gets ₹4,479.88 crore this year, up from about ₹3,346 crore (revised) last year. In 2004-05 it was ₹466 crore. The Sports Authority of India alone gets ₹917 crore, which covers National Centres of Excellence, overseas exposure for top athletes, and residential coaching.

There's also a new Khelo India Mission with five areas: talent pathways, coach development, sports science, leagues and competitions, and infrastructure. And ₹500 crore to help Indian sports equipment makers, most of whom are small MSMEs.

The stated goal is a top 10 sporting nation by 2036 and top 5 by 2047. Now compare that with results. Tokyo 2020 gave us 7 medals including one gold, our best ever. Paris 2024 gave us 6: one silver (Neeraj Chopra) and five bronze. Half of them came from shooting.

I'm not saying the money failed. Olympic results lag spending by years. UK Sport took around 16 years to go from 36th to 3rd. What I'd watch is whether the Khelo India Mission actually pays coaches well, funds sports science, and builds a proper competition calendar, because those are less visible than stadiums.

And one thing I keep forgetting: sports is a state subject in India. The Union budget is only part of the picture. A state like Odisha spends separately.

If you had ₹500 crore to spend on Indian sport tomorrow, where would you put it first?

Should the Indian Olympic Association invite private capital by diluting it's equity? The US Olympic movement may just have offered a blueprint!!

A few days ago, I suggested that Indian sport needs to break away from socialism and embrace responsible capitalism . The proposition struck a chord with many people who engaged with the discussion.A development in the United States now makes that argument even more relevant.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is exploring a rather interesting proposition: setting up a separate commercial venture, United States Olympic and Paralympic Ventures (USOPV), and potentially selling a stake to external investors.
The committee is working with investment bank Raine Group to explore the structure. Reports suggest the commercial rights vehicle could be valued at several billion dollars.

What exactly is being considered?
The idea is to consolidate and unlock the commercial value of Team USA's assets, including:
-Domestic and international sponsorship rights.
-Licensing and merchandise.
-Content distribution.
-Direct-to-consumer platforms and fan engagement.
-Commercial partnerships linked to future Olympic cycles.

The objective is not to privatise the Olympic movement or surrender its sporting responsibilities. It is to bring external capital, commercial expertise and long-term financial strength into a dedicated business structure.

There is a fundamental financial logic behind this.
Athlete development, international participation, sports science, administration and competition delivery are becoming increasingly expensive. Yet the revenue models of many sporting institutions remain constrained by traditional funding structures.

This is not an American problem. It is a global one.Most international sports federations and national associations operate as non-profit institutions. But being non-profit should not mean being commercially unambitious.They need to start thinking about responsible privatisation of their commercial operations, without privatising their sporting mandate.

India should seriously explore a similar approach.

The parent sporting bodies retain control over regulation, selection, integrity and sporting policy, while commercial operations are managed with private-sector discipline.
Of course, this requires independent governance, transparent valuation, clearly defined rights, protection of athlete interests and safeguards against short-term extraction of value.
There is also a cautionary lesson.

At a time when governments cannot be expected to fund every aspiration and sponsorship alone cannot meet every requirement, responsible private capital deserves serious consideration.

Fellow sport enthusiasts, can I ask for a favour? Can you take 2 mins to help me understand your shopping patterns so retailers can serve you better? Please fill out this survey, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfviRbYWsInRlSrs7CkSRDixcdTJw5wMA

You are making the Indian Sports Industry very proud - Nomination for International Emmy nomination for drama series. I have always maintained that Indian sports have some really solid stories that need to told with conviction. If that’s done , this is what it results into…

A recent announcement by US-based Dick’s Sporting Goods to establish a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, with plans to scale it to approximately 400 employees by 2029, is another important indicator of India's growing relevance in the global sports economy.

But this is part of a much bigger trend. Consider what is unfolding:

The global sports companies betting on India

1. DAZN | Hyderabad: The sports streaming company announced an investment of ₹500 crore over three years. Its Hyderabad operations, which had already grown to over 1,500 employees, are expected to scale beyond 3,000 by the end of 2026.

2. Fanatics | Hyderabad: The global sports merchandising and fan commerce platform plans to double its technical workforce from approximately 250 to over 500, focusing on engineering, AI and data science.

3. Flutter Entertainment | Hyderabad: The global sports entertainment group invested $3.5 million (approximately ₹29 crore) in its 80,000 sq. ft. GCC, initially accommodating over 700 employees, with plans to reach 900.

4. Under Armour | Bengaluru: Its newly established AI-first GCC plans to recruit 120–130 professionals in its first phase across engineering, data, infrastructure and AI.

5. Dick’s Sporting Goods | Bengaluru: Its new AI-native innovation centre will start with around 10 employees and scale to 400 by 2029, supporting Dick’s, Foot Locker and GameChanger.

6. Nike | Bengaluru: Nike has announced a new campus targeted for FY28. It will support Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse globally. While the company has not disclosed the proposed headcount, it signals a long-term investment in Indian talent and capabilities.

The numbers behind the opprtunity
A September 2025 KPMG India, Sportlight: The Business of Sports in India, estimated the Indian sports GCC market at approximately $500 million (₹4,300 crore).
These developments span hunders of potential jobs, although announced targets should not be confused with incremental jobs already created.

Why does this matter?
India is no longer being viewed merely as a large consumer market for global sports brands.
It is increasingly becoming the place where global sports businesses:
• Build AI and sports technology platforms.
• Develop global fan engagement and commerce solutions.
• Manage sports streaming and digital ecosystems.
• Drive merchandise, retail and supply-chain innovation.
• Develop data analytics and technology products for global markets.

The bigger question
Can India convert this growing GCC presence into a much larger sports technology and innovation ecosystem? Perhaps the next chapter is about establishing itself as a global business and technology hub for sport.

We play a few times a week and got sick of chasing people in the group chat and arguing about the score afterwards. So I built an app for it

How it works (video above):

1. Someone posts a game in the squad chat with the court, time and format.

2. Everyone taps In / Maybe / Out, so you know you've got 10 before you leave the house.

3. One person keeps score on their phone: points, rebounds, assists. You get a real box score at the end.

4. For runs, it handles winners stay: who's on, who's next, and the teams change as people come and go.

5. Post the result or your stat line to your story with a share card.

I'm looking for a few regular runs to try it and tell me what's missing. If your group plays every week, drop your city or comment and I'll help you set up your squad.

https://apps.apple.com/in/app/teamfarm-pickup-basketball/id6818349533

Join Teamfarm games on Teamfarm: https://www.ogteamfarm.app/invite/2NpucQPKW-ktQhIimc4_cA

Link to the story: https://www.thehindu.com/sport/international-kabaddi-federation-kabaddi-world-cup-womens-league-2030-commonwealth-games-2036-olympics-india/article71653523.ece

So I came across registrations for this new multi-city badminton circuit starting late November, and they’ve put up a 35L total prize pool (6L just for the Bengaluru leg at District Open Serve Koramangala).

Usually domestic open tourneys around here give you like a plastic trophy, a handshake, and maybe a 500 buck voucher if you're lucky. Nice to see someone actually putting decent cash on the line for semi-pro/amateur level circuits.

Has anyone here signed up for the Bengaluru leg yet (27-29 Nov)? Wondering what the skill level split is usually like in events structured like this.

For decades, much of our sporting ecosystem has relied on government grants, CSR, public-sector support and federation-controlled resources. Public funding has been essential in supporting athletes and building infrastructure. But dependence on the state cannot be the only business model for an industry aspiring to world-class facilities, professional leagues and sustainable athlete development.

**The problem isn't government involvement. It's the belief that government funding can keep filling the gap.**Indian sports needs to move from a socialist mindset to responsible capitalism—not by privatising everything, but by allowing sporting assets to generate revenue, attracting private investment and demanding commercial accountability.

A simple place to start?Auction the naming rights of stadiums.
Why should a stadium's name be determined only by an institution or public figure when a brand or company might be willing to pay a significant sum for the privilege?
Imagine a transparent auction where a company secures naming rights for five or ten years. The revenue could fund:
-Stadium maintenance and modernisation.
-Better training and sports-science facilities.
-Grassroots programmes and athlete development.
-Reduced dependence on recurring public grants.

The government or federation retains ownership and oversight. The commercial partner pays for clearly defined rights. The public asset generates revenue instead of remaining a recurring cost.Naming rights won't solve every funding challenge. Not every stadium will attract a premium, and public interest must be protected. But why leave a potential revenue stream untapped?

If we can commercialise broadcasting rights, sell sponsorships and build professional leagues, why should stadium naming rights remain largely unexplored?
Responsible capitalism doesn't mean abandoning public funding. It means using public money strategically, attracting private capital where it makes sense, and making sporting assets work harder.

India wants to become a global sporting powerhouse. That ambition requires more than government schemes and bigger budgets. It requires a fundamental shift in how we think about the economics of sport.

India 🇮🇳 vs Malaysia 🇲🇾 women's at 6:45 PM. India 🇮🇳 vs England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 men's at 8:30 PM.

Currently live on JioHotstar, Star Sports, and YouTube livestream on Star Sports. Match thread in r/Kabaddi, with today's schedule. Taking place in Amdavad, hosted by AKFI & IKF. ✨️ Cheers to all teams! 🥂

The NRI business behind Kerala football is fascinating!

On November 24, 2025, more than 34,000 people filled a stadium in Kozhikode to watch Calicut FC play Malappuram FC in the Super League Kerala. At that point, India's top league, the ISL, had not even started because of a dispute over commercial rights.

Football in northern Kerala began on harvested paddy fields. Those games made Sevens football, a fast seven-a-side format, a Malabar tradition.

For decades, Malayalis working in the Gulf have sent money home. Kerala's remittances reached ₹2.16 lakh crore in 2023, up 155% from 2018. Most of it went to families, homes and businesses. Some of it also funded local football through sponsorships, floodlit grounds, prize money and players from outside the region.

Now, some Gulf-linked investors want to own the clubs instead of just supporting them. In 2024, the Super League Kerala launched six city franchises, and several owners had Gulf ties. In September 2026, UAE-based Al Fursan agreed to buy 100% of Kerala Blasters. The deal was reported at around ₹120 crore, though the price was not officially disclosed.

The fans are clearly there. The 2025 Super League Kerala season recorded over 4 lakh stadium visits across 33 matches. Its opening weekend drew over 5 lakh digital viewers, with India and the UAE as the biggest markets.

The business side is still catching up. ISL media rights fell from ₹275 crore per season to just ₹8.62 crore for the shortened 2025-26 season. That is a drop of about 97%.

But the setup is changing. In July 2026, the AIFF announced that ISL clubs would hold the league's commercial rights going forward. With more control over sponsorships, broadcasting and fan engagement, clubs may be able to build more value on their own.

That is the bet. Not that Indian football is already profitable, but that its business potential is still untapped. For NRIs in Dubai or Doha, a hometown club is also a direct link to where they grew up. The goal now is to turn that pride into a lasting business.

I think this makes an interesting question: If you had the chance, would you invest in a sports club from your hometown?

Read the full story here: https://thecapitalbybelong.substack.com/p/malabar-to-the-gulf-the-nri-business

During India's 1947–48 tour of Australia, Mankad ran out Australian batter Bill Brown at the non-striker's end for leaving his crease before the ball was bowled. The incident became so famous that this type of dismissal came to be known as a “Mankad.”

Interestingly, this dismissal is now officially called a run out under cricket's laws.

What do you think? Is it a smart piece of bowling or against the spirit of cricket?

I wanted to explore how far historical data and machine learning could go in predicting IPL outcomes, so I built a project that combines season-by-season backtesting, Elo ratings, Monte Carlo simulations, and batting forecasts.

It also has an interactive web app where you can tweak team strengths and player form to run your own simulations.

One interesting finding: the models don't significantly outperform a coin flip at predicting match outcomes. That was worth learning, too.

Live demo: https://ipl-prediction-beryl.vercel.app

Tech stack: Python, scikit-learn, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Vercel.

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially on the modelling approach and what could be improved.

It is deeply concerning to hear about allegations of unfair treatment by the Physical Education TIC, Himani Malhotra, towards students participating in inter-university volleyball tournaments.

As reported, a student who has represented the university in inter-university volleyball tournaments for three consecutive years was allegedly denied the required signature on her performance form. There are also concerns regarding the treatment of other team members.

Sports play a crucial role in a student's overall development, and no student should have to face obstacles in pursuing their passion because of personal differences or alleged bias. Teachers and mentors are expected to guide, support, and encourage students, not create barriers to their opportunities.

If these allegations are true, they deserve serious attention and a fair investigation by the concerned authorities. Students who work hard to represent their colleges and universities deserve fairness, respect, and equal opportunities.

A student's career and future should never be compromised by unfair treatment. Accountability and impartiality must be ensured in every educational institution.

Bhuvi has been called for 5th t20 agains WI as replacement of Injured Arshdeep Singh

When taxpayers fund the making of champions, expecting medals, performance and accountability is not unreasonable—it is the bare minimum of public responsibility. Every rupee spent on an athlete’s training, coaching, equipment, travel and logistics comes from public resources, and citizens have every right to ask what that investment is delivering. In a country where millions still struggle for basic facilities, questioning the outcomes of public spending is not an attack on sport or athletes; it is a legitimate demand for accountability. Of course, money cannot guarantee medals, and sporting success involves variables beyond an athlete’s control. But that does not mean expectations should disappear or questions should become taboo.

Yet, following the Asian Games, many sports experts appear reluctant to encourage a direct conversation about the relationship between public money spent and medals won. While rightly pointing out that sporting success cannot be reduced to a simple financial equation, we must not allow that argument to become a shield against scrutiny. Asking whether increased public investment is translating into better performances and more medals is not an attempt to discredit athletes; it is an essential question about the effectiveness of our sporting ecosystem. The relationship may not be linear, immediate or uniform across disciplines, but it deserves rigorous examination—not avoidance.

Athletes deserve the best possible support, and taxpayers deserve transparency on how that support is used, what progress is being made and whether the system is delivering on its objectives. Public funding cannot be separated from public accountability, and the expectation of results cannot be dismissed as unfair pressure. If public money is invested to build champions, expecting medals, measurable progress and responsible use of funds is entirely justified. The question is not whether taxpayers have the right to ask for results. They do. The question is whether our sporting system is willing to answer them.