UPKL retains Rahul Chaudhari as brand ambassador for Season Two, reinforcing its bet that a recognisable face can help turn a regional league into a wider kabaddi movement. The Uttar Pradesh Kabaddi League will return with twelve teams, seventy one matches and a nineteen day schedule in Noida starting December twenty five, twenty twenty five.

Chaudhari, popularly known as the Showman of Kabaddi, brings proven star power and a long list of achievements at both national and international levels. His presence on and off the mat has been one of the drivers of kabaddis rise from rural grounds to primetime television.

How UPKL retains Rahul Chaudhari to grow Season Two

For UPKL, keeping Rahul on board is about more than a familiar face in promos. The league wants to position itself as a serious, structured state level competition that can feed talent into national and international stages. A consistent brand ambassador helps signal stability to players, sponsors and fans alike.

Chaudharis track record covers both raiding and defending, with gold medals at the twenty sixteen South Asian Games and the twenty sixteen Kabaddi World Cup. He has captained India at the twenty fourteen Beach Asian Games and led Uttar Pradesh at the twenty fifteen National Kabaddi Championship. That mix of individual flair and leadership makes him a natural fit for a league that wants to inspire young athletes.

ADVERTISEMENT

What does Rahul Chaudhari bring to UPKL as a brand

Sambhav Jain, founder and director of SJ Uplift Kabaddi, frames the partnership as part of a larger journey. He sees the move from Season One to Season Two as proof that regional leagues can grow into ecosystems that connect communities and convert local passion into mainstream recognition.

Rahul, he points out, added brand firepower in the first season and will now help push the league closer to becoming a household name across India. His fan base cuts across age and geography, which allows UPKL to reach beyond pure kabaddi loyalists and into general sports viewers.

When should a young league retain a star ambassador rather than look for novelty The answer often lies in whether that ambassador still embodies the leagues core story. For UPKL, Rahul continues to symbolise hard work, showmanship and aspiration, values it wants every new player to see.

A platform for grassroots talent in kabaddi

From Rahuls perspective, the partnership is rooted in what he saw in Season One. He speaks of the hunger and determination among players, and of how UPKL has opened a pathway for grassroots talent to reach national attention.

He describes the league as a powerful launchpad that encourages both players and non players to take kabaddi more seriously as a career. His continued association, he says, is based on a shared vision for the sport and a belief that young athletes in Uttar Pradesh and beyond deserve structured opportunities.

ADVERTISEMENT

Why broadcasting matters for UPKL Season Two

To expand its reach, UPKL has tied up with Zee Sports, the new sports initiatives division of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, to broadcast Season Two across television and digital platforms. This partnership will be crucial in taking stories from local grounds to national audiences.

How can regional leagues use broadcast to scale Kabaddi offers a clear example. Televised matches not only raise the profile of athletes, they also attract sponsors, inspire academy programs and shift parental attitudes toward sports careers. By combining a recognisable ambassador, a clear tournament structure and a sizeable broadcast partner, UPKL hopes to create a virtuous cycle of visibility and investment.

With UPKL retains Rahul Chaudhari as brand ambassador for Season Two, the league is signalling continuity of vision rather than a temporary experiment. As twelve teams battle across seventy one matches in Noida, Rahuls presence will anchor the narrative of kabaddi as both a career path and a community passion in Uttar Pradesh and beyond.

Follow Marketing Moves on Instagram and Facebook for industry insights, strategy breakdowns, and brand transformation stories.