India is The Leading Consumer of Sports in the World
There is no doubt that India is the epitome of a Sport-Frenzy nation. In fact, the nation is the culmination of more than 1.4 billion people who consume more Sports than most countries around the world. According to the Ormax Sports Audience Report: 2024, India is one of the leading consumers of Sports with India’s estimated sports audience base being around a staggering 678 Million viewers.
With sports being so big in such a diverse country it plays a significant role in shaping the nation’s culture. It further begs the question: Which sport holds the top spot in India? So today, we will be exploring the 10 most popular sports in India. However, before we dive in, it’s important to highlight the criteria behind the following list. We’ll be considering the deep-rooted history and cultural significance of each sport in India, beyond just their viewership. This ranking would outline sports not only for their current popularity but also for their historical and social impact.
Top 10 Most Popular Sports in India
1. Cricket
While yes, India watches a lot of sports, it isn’t good at most of them on the international stage. In the world of Sports, India is what one could call a “One Trick Pony”. And that reflects in terms of the popularity of sports in India as well. Cricket by far is the most consumed sport in India and the gap between first and second place is HUGE.
The same index that ranked India as one of the leading consumers of sports in the world, also states that about 90% of those who consume Sports in India are avid Cricket watchers. That amounts to around 612 Million Indians. If you live in India, you would still feel that 612 Million is a small amount compared to how popular the sport of Cricket is in India! Not only does India boast a superior audience base compared to the rest of the cricketing nations in the world, but it is also one of the best in Cricket with 2 ODI World Cups and 2 T20I World Cups to their name.
The Indian Premier League, IPL, has been a huge success over the years propelling the sport’s popularity to a whole new stratosphere. In India, Cricket is no less than a religion, the Cricketers are no less than Gods and Cricket Stadiums are no less than holy places. So it’s no surprise that India has some of the best Cricket Stadiums in the World.
2. Kabaddi
While it is not the second most popular sport in terms of viewership, Kabaddi is one of the only sports on this list that originated in the motherland of India. From about 4 Millenials ago, the sport of Kabaddi has existed in India, where its history can be traced back to Ancient India.
While over the years, it hasn’t exactly been the most popular of disciplines, India has always been the best Kabaddi team in the world winning 3 Kabaddi World Cups (Standard Style) and 6 out of the 7 Kabaddi World Cups (Circle Style), and Dominating teams along the way.
The introduction of the Pro Kabaddi League, PKL, a franchise-based Kabaddi League, in 2014 has been a huge success for the sport with more and more viewers being drawn towards the sport every year. 41% of sports watchers in India are consumers of Kabaddi, amounting to a total of 280 Million Indians, the third highest for any sport in the country. Today, the PKL is the second-most-watched franchise league in India only behind the IPL.
3. Football
It isn’t known as the World Sport for no reason. While India is one of the rare exclusions where Football doesn’t hold the number one spot for the most watched sport across the country, it still sits pretty at the number 2 spot. Around 305 Million Indians watch Football which adds up to 45% of sports watchers in the country, still only half of Cricket. Most people in India though, watch European Football more than Indian football which in the last few years has definitely seen a growth in popularity thanks to the ISL, the Indian Super League. Historically on the International stage, India has never been a footballing powerhouse, and even today, are known as the “Sleeping Giants” of football but still struggle to battle with Asian royalty, let alone European and South American nations.
4. Field Hockey
Often mistaken for being the National Sport of India, Field Hockey is one of the sports in which India has had immense international success historically. India has won a record 8 Olympic Gold Medals in Field Hockey and has birthed some of the greatest legends in the history of the sport. In terms of viewership, 154 Indians watch Field Hockey in India adding up to a total of 12% Indian Sports watchers. While historically being a dominant force in the sport, India has been in a very low phase in Hockey. But they are finally on the path of resurgence and have won back-to-back Bronze medals at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.
5. Badminton
Yet another sport that had its early origins in Ancient India, partly at least, is Badminton. While certainly not the most popular it has seen growth in recent times due to success stories such as Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, etc. Prakash Padukone is yet another Badminton Legend of India. Around 21% of the Indian sport-watching population is invested in Badminton having around 145 Million Indian fans.
6. WWE/Wrestling
India has a huge fanbase for WWE with fans getting up as early as 5-5.30 am to catch all the live action from the WWE Universe live on Sony Sports Network. Apart from WWE, even Wrestling is quite close to the heart of many Indians as one form of it too originated in Ancient India, “Kushti”. India has seen some inspiring stories from Wrestlers in India like the Phogat sisters, Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat’s fight against Justice and her brilliant showing at the Olympics recently. The sport brings in about 163 Million viewers in India culminating in 24% of the sports watching population in the country.
7. Athletics
The biggest contributor to the rise of the popularity of Athletics in India is undoubtedly Neeraj Chopra, the Golden Arm of India. Neeraj Chopra’s heroics in the Javelin Throw event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were India’s first major success at the Olympics in Athletics and also India’s first Gold Medal in Athletics. Neeraj Chopra recently followed it up with a Silver Medal at the Paris Summer Games in August. 19% of Indian sport fans watch athletics, that is 126 Million Indians.
8. Boxing
With 107 Million Indians watching the sport and with a total of 16% of sports fans in India being invested in the sport, Boxing ranks 8th on this list but it also could’ve easily been higher. Contradictory to popular belief, India does have some history in boxing with Mary Kom being one of the greatest female boxers in the sport having won the highest number of World Championships. Vijender Singh’s bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 boosted Boxing’s popularity in India.
9. Tennis
Being one of the most popular sport globally, Tennis has always taken a backseat in India. But it is still quite famous and is growing very fast in the country. India might not have won any Grand Slams individually but has won a lot of doubles Grand Slams thanks to legends like Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati. An up-and-coming Tennis star is Sumit Nagal who played the Olympics in Paris earlier this year.
10. Chess
Is Chess a sport? Is it a game? Well, it’s DEFINITELY a sport, even the International Olympic Committee recognizes it as a sport. Well with that out of the way, India has birthed one of the Greatest Chess players of all time in Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand who is one of the biggest reasons why Chess in India has gained so much popularity in the past 3 decades or so. Nowadays, young Indian kids are quickly rising up in Chess and making the country proud. During COVID, Chess grew in popularity even more as people were bored with nothing to do at their homes. So they just started playing Chess as a hobby and started streaming it online making it grow in popularity. Currently, India is so strong in Chess, that at the time of writing this article, India has 4 players in the top 10 Chess players in the world currently.
Conclusion
Sport, like Art, can transcend mere entertainment and human emotions, and in India, it has done just that over the years. And it will unlikely stop continuing to do that. Sport has become deeply ingrained in this country’s cultural fabric. As Cricket continues to grow exponentially in India, other disciplines like Kabaddi, Football, Badminton, Hockey, etc. are not that far behind. The county’s diverse sporting landscape will continue to flourish with its rich historical foundations. As India ushers away from its general consensus of celebrating only one sport, and moves towards a more equal celebration of all sports, with achievements across various sporting disciplines, India’s passion for Sports will continue to grow, fostering the country’s future in sports.
Do you think India will ever start respecting and following other sports just like they watch Cricket or will India always be a “One Trick Pony”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
