In 2014, when news of the first ever Pro Kabaddi league (PKL), promoted by industrialist Anand Mahindra and his brother-in-law and sports presenter Charu Sharma, reached the offices of its broadcaster Star Sports, it was received with oodles of scepticism. “What next? A league for gilli-danda,” came the snarky refrain from some of the staff.
Back then, Suhail Chandhok, a former cricketer, was working with Star. “I put my hands up and said I’d like to commentate for this,” says Chandhok. “I hadn’t done commentary ever and, at that point, I didn’t even remember how many players were on either side of a kabaddi team. But I saw it as an opportunity to get my foot in the door as a commentator.”