Star Sports Pro Kabaddi sign Allu Arjun as its brand ambassador

Allu Arjun

Building on the tremendous success of its inaugural season, with a record 435 million viewers tuning in, the Kabaddi wave continues to sweep the country once again in season 2. Star Sports Pro Kabaddi opened to packed stadiums through its first leg in Mumbai. With a bigger and better Season 2 on offer, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi made it even more ‘stylish’ by signing youth icon and reigning star of Telugu cinema Allu Arjun as its face in the two Telugu states – Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The versatile actor, who has won multiple awards for his work, will promote the sport and the league for the millions of Kabaddi enthusiasts in the Telugu speaking states. The Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad will host the eight city franchise league from August 4-7, 2015.

Talking about the development, Nitin Kukreja, Head, Star Sports, said, “At Star, we are committed to reinvent the great Indian sport of Kabaddi and set it in today’s context. The task is to make the game relevant and aspirational for the millions of young and passionate fans across India. Allu Arjun is an actor par excellence and a youth icon with following that cuts across all sections of the society. We believe he is the apt ambassador of the sport in this geography and are confident that this association will further the sport of Kabaddi in the region.”

This season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has created a place of pride for the National Anthem, one unique feature no other sport has. Every day during the league, eminent personalities and local musicians and bands sing the anthem in a manner that captures the essence of the entire country. Country’s biggest super star, Amitabh Bachchan sang the National Anthem on July 18, followed by Sunidhi Chauhan on the second day in Mumbai and Saurav Ganguly on the opening day in Kolkata. Allu Arjun will be performing the National Anthem on Day 1 when Hyderabad hosts its first ever Kabaddi game on August 4.

Speaking on the occasion, Allu Arjun said, “Kabaddi is a true Indian sport and Star Sports Pro Kabaddi has helped the game gain its due recognition in the country. I am truly honored and proud to be singing the National Anthem at the start of the Hyderabad leg of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi. Being a physical fitness enthusiast, I am excited to associate with the league and will help promote the great Indian sport across the region.”

With an objective to nurture and grow the sport in its bastion markets, Star Sports Pro Kabaddi is being broadcast in five languages- Kannada, Telugu and Marathi along with English and Hindi, across eight channels of the Star network as well as on hotstar. The league is currently on air in Telugu on MAA Movies.

N Prasad, Chairman, MAA TV said, “Season one of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi successfully established Kabaddi in the mainstream, breaking it out of its hinterland niche and transforming it into a sport enjoyed just as much by an urban audience. We are happy to partner with Star Sports to broaden Kabaddi’s appeal even further by taking it closer to fans in Telugu States. We believe Kabaddi, being an aspirational contact sport, has a lot of potential and is set to become very popular.”

The Indian game of Kabaddi is also being telecast to a huge global audience in over 100 countries, including viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, Middle East and Latin America. It also has commentary from the field of play, a never seen before phenomena in Indian sports, actively engaging their role on camera.

Star has reiterated its commitment to the sport by renewing the title sponsorship for the second season of the league. Eight leading brands- Bajaj Electricals, Department of Atomic Energy, Flipkart, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, Thums Up, TVS Motors and VIP Frenchie have signed up as associate sponsors for season 2 of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi.

With Allu Arjun’s appointment as the new face of Kabaddi, following Amitabh Bachchan’s #LePanga rap and integration with Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan, sports fans and enthusiasts are in for a treat as India’s leading sports broadcaster is set to deliver another epic season of the great Indian sport.