Rishank Devadiga, Sandeep Narwal and Manpreet Singh from the popular Pro Kabaddi League are likely to come to Mangaluru to play kabaddi matches at Panambur beach.
These three are among 60 national kabaddi players set to take part in the pro kabaddi matches to be held on the beach between April 15 and April 17. The matches will be conducted by the Dakshina Kannada District Amateur Kabaddi Association.
Rakesh Malli, president of the association, told reporters that 24 teams from different parts of the country will participate in the event.
Teams
Among the teams scheduled to take part are ONGC Delhi, Air India Mumbai, Central Railways, Dena Bank, Maharashtra State Police, State Bank of Mysore, HAL, and High Tech from Chennai. Local teams such as Alva’s College and Sporting Ullal will also take part.
Purushottam Poojary B., secretary of the association, said the matches, each 45 minutes long, will be played out on two mats provided by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The matches will be played between 4.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Mr. Poojary said the winning team will be give a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh, while the runner up will get Rs. 1.5 lakh. The two teams that lose the semi-finals will get Rs. 75,000 each, he said.
Yatish Baikampady, chief executive officer of Panambur Beach Development Project, said they were prepared to host a national kabaddi event on the beach.
New pavilion
These matches will be held at the place where the kite festival was organised last year. A new pavilion is being laid to accommodate around 20,000 spectators.
Mr. Baikampady told The Hindu that additional lifeguards would be posted along various points on the beach to prevent people from entering the sea while the matches are on.
