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India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
What is IGPL? League that is set to swing a new era for Indian golf
For decades, golf in India has always been viewed through the lens of exclusivity. Played, enjoyed, and most importantly followed by a niche audience, the game has largely been untouched by the glamour of rich leagues in our country. But that narrative is about to change. The golfing scene in India is set to take a tectonic shift in Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), co-owned by former cricketer Yuvraj Singh, is ready to launch a one-of-its-kind spectacle that places men and women on the same competitive turf. In a country where cricket dominates the sporting arena, golf is ready to script its own revolution. And this is going to be the biggest development in the sport ahead of the LA 2028 for an early 2026 start, IGPL will roll out with six city-based teams locked in a high-intensity home-and-away contest that spans three weeks. The league's partnership with the Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI) could prove to be a defining moment for women golfers in the country. In fact, Secretary General of WGAI, Champika Sayal, feels that it holds the promise of transforming golf's landscape in league will be nothing short of a boon for blooming athletes who want to make it big in the sport. Speaking to India Today, Champika Sayal painted a vision of the IGPL that reaches far beyond metropolitan cities. With a strong budget and push from cricket icons like Yuvraj Singh, the league is expected to draw eyeballs to a sport that does not have a traditional audience in both amateurs and seasoned professionals, the league promises to be a magnet for talent and opportunity.'Whether you are an amateur or a professional, this is going to be a pull. Huge scope to grow. It is going to be six teams in the first year, the second year is going to be bigger. There are even talks about IGPL expanding to the UAE and Sri Lanka. Sky's the limit,' Champika Sayal replied to India Today's query in a press conference. Vani Kapoor in action. (Courtesy: Instagram) What is IGPL and Why is it Important?As explained before, IGPL is a mixed event where the top golfers in the country play in a city-based franchise format. Golf's IPL, if you things turn interesting is the vision of the league, which aligns with the format of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics' mixed-style is going to be key in providing exposure for women golfers. While most international competitions follow the structure of the Ladies European Tour (LET), the IGPL is set to bring its own approach, with the top six players from the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour gaining automatic entry, and another six players will be invited by the league, who can be from any part of the move perhaps comes at the right time for India as well. Globally, golf is becoming redefined. Later in August, China will host a mixed indoor tournament with a prize pool totalling up to $1.5 fact that the tournament will be held in Olympic style works well for the Indian participants. In the last Olympics, India's Aditi Ashok narrowly missed out on a historic golf medal by just one point, finishing fourth behind Nelly Korda, Mone Inami, and Lydia it was a moment that made an entire nation pause and believe. It gave wings to the dreams of many women golfers across the country, that they could not only compete but win podiums on the international stage. Ridhima Dilawari, Aditi's compatriot, is of the firm opinion that out of the thirty women golfers in the country, the top ten are good enough to compete on any tour. Riddhima Dilwari in action. (IGPL Photo) advertisementIGPL Start of a New Era: Vani KapoorFor one of India's leading women golfers, the IGPL represents a turning point for the sport. Vani Kapoor, currently No. 1 on the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour Order of Merit, sees it as 'a start of a new era for Indian golf' making golf aspirational, visible, and believes the league will unite the community and, in her words, 'women's golf is coming into picture due to IGPL.' She is excited to play, not only for the equal prize money, but also the opportunities it views are echoed by compatriot Ridhima Dilawari, ranked No. 2, who describes IGPL as 'a platform to express ourselves, and be a story to be told to the nation.' For her, the appeal lies in the visibility the format can generate.'People will get to know players better. In India, we know we have an appetite for sports. We have seen that with cricket,' she hopes that golf, hopefully with IGPL, can appeal to the younger audience in the country. Long known as a sport for the elites on a buggy, Ridhima wishes for golf to draw a share of the viewership of what IPL would be great for golf in the country,' she IGPL has the potential to be the heartbeat of Indian golf. With every swing, golf is ready to tell a story, a story that holds a dream, a story and can possibly take India to Olympic glory.- EndsMust Watch
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
'Equal pay, new format in IGPL is exciting'
Bengaluru: A big challenge for the Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI), since its inception in 2004, has been to increase the pool of professional players on its the sport in the country experiencing considerable growth over the last two decades, it is but natural to expect a thriving women's golfing circuit. In reality, at least in context of the numbers that still linger around 50 golfers, the development has been painstakingly slow owing to various WGAI now joining hands with the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), is expected to be the much-needed game-changer for Indian women's golf. This was the shared sentiment top Indian pros - Vani Kapoor and Ridhima Dilawari - expressed during an online interaction on Tuesday..'This is the start of a new era for Indian golf,' says 31-year-old Vani. 'Equal prize money with a new format makes it exciting to be a part of. Now the youngsters will look at golf as a career option. It is an opportunity to grow together as a golfing community,' points the Order of Merit (OoM) leader with four wins on WGAI this season. .Ridhima, second on OoM, feels the IGPL promises to be a platform for women golfers to express themselves. .Feeding off of rule book for the love of golf .'There are so many of us doing well on different tours. We deserve the limelight. India has an appetite for sports and this will give us a chance to showcase our stories for more people to know about us,' said the 27-year-old. .While Vani has been a professional since 2012, Ridhima turned pro in 2019. An integral part of the WGAI, both the girls from Delhi, stress that the growth lies in the quality and depth of the field and not in the numbers. .'Yes, there might be only a few of us.. say 40-50 pro golfers in India. But look at how many out of this limited pool have moved on to play on the bigger tours outside,' says Ridhima as Vani adds: 'There are 15-20 of us competing around the world. Today, if a player finishes no. 1 on WGAI, she gets four spots on the LET (Ladies European Tour).' .For Champika Sayal, secretary general of WGAI, other than IGPL potentially playing a role in strengthening women's golf in the country, she feels that the mixed format league will be good preparation for the new mixed team competition added as the third medal event in golf at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. .'Competing together will help build team spirit. This is the type of evolution that golf in India needed. .'The visibility of female golfers through IGPL, hopefully, will also attract more sponsors to bring international tournaments to India. The plan is to get an international event somewhere in Karnataka because they have some really good courses. This will happen in the near future.'
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Indian Golf Premier League
There is a lot of excitement among the leading women golfers in the country about the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) as they view it as the beginning of a new era that would ensure better funds, visibility and inclusivity along with the fun element. The two top players in the Hero Indian women's golf tour, Vani Kapoor and Ridhima Dilawari, were eloquent in their expression as they answered queries from the media from Gothenburg in Sweden and Bengaluru respectively. 'I am super excited about IGPL. It is the start of a new era for Indian golf. It is good for both new and established players. It is a great platform to grow golf. Excited about playing for equal prize money,' said Vani, who has won four titles in the Indian circuit this season, including a hat-trick. She said that the tough experience of handling windy and cold conditions in Europe, and trying to play aggressive so as to keep her card, had actually helped her perform much better in the Indian circuit, in which she was competing after a long gap. 'It is a great chance for women's golf. We deserve the limelight. There are so many stories to be told about women's golf in the country. There is appetite for sports in India. There is scope for golf to have a better share of viewership. The IGPL is great for the growth of golf,' said Ridhima, who had won the last tournament in the domestic circuit in Kolar. Champika Sayal, secretary-general, Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI), said it was not that difficult to commit to IGPL as the women had only about 16 events in the season. She was excited about the new format, and pointed out that even the Olympics would have mixed events. 'At the end of this month, there is a $1.5 million mixed event in China, virtual and indoors, with a qualifying event as well,' said Champika, explaining how the game was growing in different ways around the world. Both Vani and Ridhima, along with Champika, felt the depth and quality of Indian women's golf was on the upswing as evident from the number of players competing in the European circuit apart from events in Thailand, China and South Africa. On her part, Vani assured she would find the time and energy to be part of IGPL despite her commitments in the European circuit. 'We have to do the balancing act. IGPL is a great marketing opportunity to build our brand and profile. I would definitely play,' said Ridhima. Champika revealed that the top-six Indian players would be automatically selected and another six would be at the discretion of IGPL. Vani was particularly pleased with the efforts of WGAI in supporting the players in so many ways. After being associated with Indian golf for about five decades, Champika felt IGPL was an amazing platform as it had a high potential for growth. She drew attention to the plans to take it to UAE and Sri Lanka in the seasons ahead.
