Sports have a long history in India, spanning thousands of years. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most watched league in the nation, making cricket the most popular spectator sport with the biggest television viewership. With the Indian Super League (ISL) being the top domestic football league and the national side winning numerous gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games, football has also grown in popularity[2][b]. India's football achievements also include qualifying for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, winning the SAFF Championship, and making it to the 1960 Olympics semifinals.[4][5][6][7] Other sports include badminton, tennis, kabaddi, and athletics; kho-kho is currently the sport with the fourth
The vast range of sports in India has been impacted by the country's unique culture and people; in some areas, local sports like fighter kite and boat racing are very popular. Other native sports include rugby, snooker, polo, cycling, kho kho, and chess, depending on the region. Coastal regions are often the sites of water sports such as surfing, kiteboarding, diving, and boating.[11] Young audiences are drawn to professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA)[12], with a few Indian wrestlers finding success abroad.[13][14] India has won two of the three Cricket World Cups that it has hosted.[c] India has achieved the greatest success in field hockey in the Olympics, with the men's team taking home twelve medals, eight of which were gold. Cycling is regarded as a recreational activity even though it is not a professional sport.
Premier Handball League, the IPL and Women's Premier League, Indian Super League, I-League (football),[18] Pro Kabbadi, Hockey India League, Premier Badminton League (Badminton), Ultimate Table Tennis League, Prime Volleyball League (Volleyball), and Ultimate Kho Kho (Kho–kho) are among the domestic professional commercial sports leagues in the nation. The Indian Open, India Open, and India Open are the three main international athletic competitions held in India each year. Since the Indian domestic Pro Kabaddi League was established, kabaddi, an indigenous sport, is considered to be one of the fastest growing sports in India. The sport has attracted a significant amount of television audience, which has increased both its popularity and monetary value.[19] In India, professional women's sports leagues like the Women's Premier League and Women's Kabaddi have increased in popularity.
The 1951 and 1982 Asian Games, the 1987, 1995, and 2016 South Asian Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2014 Lusofonia Games, the 1987, 1996, and 2010 Commonwealth Games are just a few of the international athletic events that India has held. 2011, 2016, 2021[e] Men's World Cups in Cricket; and Women's World Cups in Cricket in 1978, 1997, 2013, and 2016. India has hosted junior FIFA world cups, such as the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup of football, in addition to hosting the SAFF Championship in 1999, 2011, 2015, and 2023 and the SAFF Women's Championship in 2016. The 2023 ODI, 2026 T20, 2031 ODI Cricket World Cup,[f] and the 2025 Women's World Cup of Cricket will all be held in India.[22][g]
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