PHL could be the catalyst handball needs

The inaugural edition of the PHL is set to be held next year, but at a single venue owing to the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, trials for players and exhibition matches will be conducted in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

Besides hosting the franchise-based League, Bluesport Entertainment will invest heavily at the grassroot level. “We are optimistic that the sport will gather momentum once we start the League,” Manu Agarwal, CEO and co-founder of the PHL, told DT Next on Saturday. “When we shortlisted games to invest in, the first criterion we looked at was whether it is a team sport or not. Secondly, we looked at promoting an Olympic sport. And, handball meets both the criteria. The sport is widely popular in India, but it has not been privatised or commercialised,” Agarwal explained the decision behind opting for handball.

While competitions such as the Pro Kabaddi League (kabaddi) and the Indian Super League (football) have been a hit, some events have gone off the boil after a few years. Agarwal stressed that the PHL has taken lessons from other private leagues in the country.

“Leagues involving team sports have usually succeeded. We will make sure that all our stakeholders get their value for money right from Season 1. We have created a compact model for that. A few leagues do not succeed because they do not give the best value for money, which makes the franchises lose interest after some years,” said Agarwal.

Asked if the raging pandemic has impacted its plans for the near future, Agarwal replied: “We had planned to start the League earlier. In that sense, COVID-19 has affected us and we have had to delay the start of the League. But, we also got a lot of time to invent data-related stuff and make positive moves for the betterment of the sport.”