LUCKNOW— In a major development for the sport of Kho-Kho, Uttar Pradesh will soon host its first-ever league modeled on the Indian Premier League (IPL). The initiative aims to provide a platform for players to showcase their talent and earn significant financial rewards.
The announcement was made by Dharmendra Singh, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Kho-Kho Association. He stated that the league will be organized jointly by the association and the 100 Sports Management company.
The inaugural UP Kho-Kho League is scheduled to take place in the last week of April 2026, with matches to be held in Noida, Lucknow, and Ayodhya. The player auction is planned for November of this year. Players have been categorized into three tiers: Category A with a base price of Rs 51,000, Category B with a base price of Rs 25,000, and Category C with a base price of Rs 11,000.
The budget for each team has been set between Rs 20-25 lakh, while the total league budget is estimated to be Rs 2-3 crore.
Vinod Kumar Singh, a member of the association, confirmed that Uttar Pradesh will become the third state in the country, after Maharashtra and Rajasthan, to host such a professional Kho-Kho league. The league will feature six teams in both the men’s and women’s categories.
The men’s teams will represent Ghaziabad, Meerut, Varanasi, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ayodhya, and Lucknow, while the women’s teams will be from Gorakhpur, Agra, Bijnor, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Lucknow, and Ghaziabad. Each team will consist of 15 players, including 10 selected by the association, 2 chosen by the franchise, and 3 ‘icon’ players. The icon players, who can be national or international level athletes, may be selected from outside Uttar Pradesh.
