With popular singer Badshah joining the league as co-owner of the Mumbai franchise alongside renowned film producer, developer, and sports enthusiast, Punit Balan, Ultimate Kho Kho has a tinge of Bollywood.

The lineup for the inaugural season of Ultimate Kho Kho, which will begin later this year, is completed by the Mumbai-based team.

Badshah is fascinated by the game’s tempo and refined aesthetic as well as the nostalgic value it holds for him. He also thinks Ultimate Kho Kho has enormous potential. Through this association, he hopes to motivate and develop superstars in this native sport.

“Kho-Kho is a deeply ingrained game, and my mother used to play it when she was a college student. I decided to join Ultimate Kho Kho because of this sentimental and personal connection, a delighted Badshah said of his first sporting endeavor.

“It’s a high-intensity, quick-paced indoor sport with very agile players performing Sky-Dives in the air. We want this team to be quick and effective, which is the culture of Mumbai in general. My goal is to develop the best players in this league, and we want to give the players the best training, environment, infrastructure, and nutrition possible, he continued.

Maharashtra is where the traditional sport was first played, and it has long dominated the Indian Kho-Kho scenario. Three teams from Maharashtra competed in the National Championships and at the recently finished Khelo India Youth Games, the boys’ and girls’ divisions emerged champions respectively.

With this development, Ultimate Kho Kho keeps making significant progress toward its goal of modernizing this domestic sport. Before now, the league’s roster included the Government of Odisha working with ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, Adani Group, GMR Group, Capri Global, and KLO Sports, among other illustrious corporate names.