Sports play an integral part of culture in the Indian state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

is the most popular spectator sport in the state. Other popular sports include

kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

and kho kho, which are played in rural areas, and

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

, and

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

, which are more common in urban areas, schools, and colleges. In the state's southern rural regions, annual wrestling championships such as Hind Kesari and

Maharashtra Kesari Maharashtra Kesari ( in Sanskrit) is an Indian-style wrestling championship, established in 1854 in Maharashtra, India. It is organized by the ''Maharashtra Kustigir Parishad''. Prize Cash prize was awarded to the winner since the start. Bu ...

are held. Games like Viti-Dandu and variations of Tag are played among children. The

Mumbai cricket team The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team which represents Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is governed by Mumbai Cricket Association. Its home ground is Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate. The team also plays its home matches at Bandra ...

represents Mumbai,

Palghar Palghar () is a prominent town in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, India, and a municipal council. It is strategically located within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and since 2014, it has been the administrative capital of the Palgh ...

, and

Thane Thane (; previously known as Thana, List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city located on the northwestern side of the list of Indian states, state of Maharashtra in India and on ...

districts in Indian domestic cricket, whilst the

Maharashtra cricket team The Maharashtra cricket team is a state cricket team that represents the Maharashtra state in domestic cricket of India. It is governed by Maharashtra Cricket Association. It plays its home matches at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium i ...

represents the rest of the state.

Maharashtra Cricket Association The Maharashtra Cricket Association ( Marathi: महाराष्ट्र क्रिकेट संघटणा) is the governing body of the cricket in the Maharashtra state of India. Its Maharashtra cricket team represent Maharashtra stat ...

(MCA) governs cricket in the state except for the Mumbai region. The state is home to international standard stadiums including

Wankhede stadium Wankhede Stadium (pronounced �aːnkʰeɖe is an international cricket stadium in Mumbai, India. It is owned and operated by the Mumbai Cricket Association and is the home ground of the Mumbai Indians. It houses the headquarters of the Boar ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium is an international cricket stadium in Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is owned and operated by the Maharashtra Cricket Association. It is the home ground of the Maharashtra cricket team and Maharashtra ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. In the

Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...

(IPL), the

Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...

franchise represents the state from Mumbai; the

women's team A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...

plays in the Women's Premier League. The

Maharashtra Open The Maharashtra Open (known as Tata Open Maharashtra for sponsorship reasons) was an annual men's ATP Tour 250 Tennis championship since 1996. It was held in Pune (since 2018) and was part of the ATP Tour, before it was moved to Hong Kong in ...

, a tennis

ATP Tour 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam (t ...

tournament, is annually held in Balewadi Stadium, Pune.

History

Pre-colonial sports

ancient India Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia date to 30,000 years ago. Sedentism, Sedentariness began in South Asia around 7000 BCE; ...

, a

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

called ''mallavidya'' was practiced. It was a form of

grappling Grappling is a fighting technique based on throws, trips, sweeps, clinch fighting, ground fighting and submission holds. Grappling contests often involve takedowns and ground control, and may end when a contestant concedes defeat. Shou ...

that was more complex than

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

, and was performed in earthen mud pits called ''akhadas'' or ''talims'', some of which can still be found in Maharashtra today. Historical depictions of the martial art can be seen on archaeological sculptures from the region at numerous locations, such as

Kharosa Kharosa is a village situated at about 45 km from Latur City in Latur district, Maharashtra, India. It is renowned for its caves, built around the 6th century. Other attractions include the beautiful sculptures of Narasimha, Shiv Parvati ...

or Pavnar.

Baji Rao II Baji Rao II (10 January 1775 – 28 January 1851) was the 13th and the last Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy . He governed from 1795 to 1818. He was installed as a puppet ruler by the Maratha nobles, whose growing power prompted him to flee h ...

, the last

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, was a patron of strength and wrestling competitions during the early 19th century. Under his patronage, the sport of ''malkhamb'' (pole gymnastics) was developed in Pune by Balambhat Deodhar. After Baji Rao lost power and was exiled to northern India, Deodhar brought malkhamb and mallavidya to other Maratha-ruled states such as

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

and

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

. In the later 19th and early 20th centuries, other rulers such as those of

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Kolhapur is one of the most significant cities in South Maharashtra and has been a hub of historical, religious, and cultural a ...

and

Aundh Aundh may refer to * Aundh State, a princely state in British India ** Aundh Experiment, an early test of village-level self-government in British India * Aundh, Satara Aundh is a town in India 26 mi. southeast of Satara. The population in ...

were also patrons of organised wrestling and sporting festivals. Among the rulers of these princely states,

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding ( Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

, and

shooting Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missile ...

gained popularity.

Imported sports under British rule

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

in India drastically changed the landscape of sports in Maharastra. Like in other regions of India, British rulers and aristocrats enjoyed outdoor sports and built facilities for their own leisure. This led to the introduction of several

British sports Sport holds a central place in British culture, and the United Kingdom has played a key role in both the development and global spread of many sports. In the early stages of organized sport, the Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Ire ...

, including cricket, and the development of the new game of badminton. New infrastructure—such as the building of a dam at Bund Garden in 1860—allowed for recreational boating on the

Mula-Mutha river The Mula-Mutha is a river in India, formed by the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers in the city of Pune, Maharashtra state, which later flows into the Bhima River, which itself is a tributary of the Krishna River and finally empties int ...

. In addition, the colonial rulers introduced horse racing; some racecourses built during this period, such as the

Mahalaxmi Racecourse The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with straight chute, spread over approximately of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land know ...

and

Pune Race Course Pune Race Course is a racecourse located in Pune Cantonment, western India. It is located 5–6 km from downtown Pune and 12–13 km from Pune airport. Built in 1830, it covers . The land is controlled by the Indian Army. Additional ...

, are still in operation today. By the late 19th century, the British had constructed numerous sports clubs that were exclusively white or restricted based on religion, such as Poona Europeans, Poona Parsees, and Poona Hindu Gymkhana. While many of the religion-based clubs were dominated by educated

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s, there were also some lower-caste sports stars such as the brothers

Palwankar Baloo Palwankar Baloo was an Indian cricketer and political activist. In 1896, he was selected by Parmanandas Jivandas Hindu Gymkhana and played in the Bombay Quadrangular tournaments. He was employed by the Bombay Berar and Central Indian Railways, ...

and Vithal Palwankar, who played cricket in the early 20th century.

Indigenous sports under British rule

At the same time that imported sports were being developed by the British, indigenous sports continued to change and develop. However, after

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

officer

Walter Rand Walter Rand (May 31, 1919 – January 6, 1995), born Walter Rappaport, was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who was a specialist on transportation issues while serving in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. Rand w ...

was assassinated in 1897 by the

Chapekar brothers The Chapekar Brothers, Damodar Hari Chapekar (25 June 1869 – 18 April 1898), Balkrishna Hari Chapekar (1873 – 12 May 1899, also called Bapurao) and Vasudeo Hari Chapekar (1880 – 8 May 1899), also spelt Wasudeva or Wasudev, were Indian r ...

who ran a wrestling venue in Pune, British colonial authorities viewed these indigenous sports venues with suspicion. A committee was established in 1914 in order to set rules for kho-kho. The formalization of Indian sports continued in the region, and the Deccan Gymkhana sports club was instrumental in organizing the first Indian delegation to an Olympic games, which participated in the 1920 games in Antwerp. Other clubs, such as the Maharashtra Mandal club, which formed in the early 20th century, promoted physical culture and education by hosting both indigenous and Western sports. Other indigenous sports and exercises developed as well, especially

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

. In the 1920s,

Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi Bhawanrao Shriniwasrao Pant Pratinidhi, (24 October 1868 – 13 April 1951), popularly known as Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, or Bhawanrao Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi, was the ruler of the princely state of Aundh State, Aundh during the British Raj ...

, the ruler of

Aundh State Aundh State was a Maratha princely state during the British Raj, in the Deccan States Agency division of the Bombay Presidency. The Principality of Aundh covered an area of 1298 square kilometers with a population of 88,762 in 1941. The capi ...

, helped popularize the series of yoga positions called

Surya Namaskar Sun Salutation, also called Surya Namaskar or Salute to the Sun (, ), is a practice in yoga as exercise incorporating a flow sequence of some twelve linked asanas. The asana sequence was first recorded as yoga in the early 20th century, though s ...

, a flowing sequence of salutations to the sun. This series contained popular

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

s (positions) such as upward and

downward dog Downward Dog Pose, Downward-facing Dog Pose, or Downdog, also called Adho Mukha Svanasana (; ), is an inversion asana in yoga as exercise. It is often practised as part of a flowing sequence of poses, especially Surya Namaskar, the Salute to t ...

and

Uttanasana Uttanasana (; ) or Standing Forward Bend, with variants such as Padahastasana where the toes are grasped, is a standing forward bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. Etymology and origins The name comes from the Sanskrit words , "intense ...

which helped to popularize

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...

. Beginning in the 1910s, local Indian organizations were established in order to propagate and develop Indian physical culture. One such organization, initially called Hanuman Akhara, was formed in 1922 by the Vaidya brothers in

Amravati Amravati (/Marathi phonology, əmᵊɾɑʋᵊt̪iː/) is a city in Maharashtra located in the Vidarbha region. It is the ninth largest city in Maharashtra, India & second largest city in the Vidarbha region in terms of population. It is the ...

and eventually became the Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak mandal (HVPM). A satellite organization of the HVPM helped to revise the rules for

in the 1930s after the Indian YMCA had first formulated the rules in earlier years.

Administration

The Directorate of Sports and Youth Services (Maharashtra) is the governing body which is responsible for sports in Maharashtra. The directorate is a part of the School Education and Sports Department of the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the executive branch of the Indian states of india, state of Maharashtra. The government is led by the List of chief ministers of Maharashtra, chief minister (currently Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024) ...

and is let by the Sports and Youth Welfare Minister of Maharashtra. The Maharashtra Olympic Association, affiliated with the

Indian Olympic Association The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bhāratīya Olaṃpika Saṃgha'') is responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international spor ...

, is responsible for the selection and participation of the state's contingent in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

, and for the

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

in Maharashtra. The

is the governing body for

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

activities in Maharashtra and for the

. It is affiliated with the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...

. The Maharashtra Cricket Association is one of three cricket associations based in Maharashtra, along with

Mumbai Cricket Association The Mumbai Cricket Association (formerly Bombay Cricket Association) is the governing body for cricket in Mumbai and surrounding regions such as Thane, Navi Mumbai. Its headquarters is situated at Wankhede Stadium in Churchgate. It governs M ...

and

Vidarbha Cricket Association The Vidarbha Cricket Association is the governing body of the cricket activities in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra state of India and the Vidarbha cricket team. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India. N. K. P. Salv ...

. The

Western India Football Association The Western India Football Association, abbreviated as WIFA, is the governing body for association football, football in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is affiliated with the All India Football Federation, the sports national governing bod ...

(WIFA) is the governing body for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

in Maharashtra, and was established on 12 July 1911. It is affiliated with the

All India Football Federation All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation. It is affiliated wit ...

, the sport's national governing body for all of India.

Sports policy

The Maharashtra government announced its first sports policy in 1996, the first Indian state to do so. After five years, in 2001, the state government launched a second sports policy for a ten-year period, which had the motto "Fitness for all through Sports". As part of this policy, the Sports Infrastructure Development Plan was created and a reservation was made for a sportsperson in government and semi-government jobs. In 2012, a third sports policy was declared, which created financial assistance to prepare the state for participation in international competitions.

Indigenous sports

Indian sports Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous people ...

—include

, kho kho,

atya patya Atya patya (Hindi: आट्यापाट्या) is a traditional South Asian tag sport played by two sides of nine players. It is more popular in rural areas of India. It is more commonly played in Maharashtra, a western Indian state. A ...

langdi Langdi, also known as Langdi Hindi, was a Writing system, script commonly used by traders used to write Haryanvi language, Haryanvi, Punjabi language, Punjabi, and Bagri language, Bagri in the Indian subcontinent. Bookkeepers, known as munīm (, ...

, and

mallakhamba Mallakhamba, or mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a group of gymnasts perform aerial yoga and gymnastic postures using wrestling grips in concert with a stationary vertical pole. The word mal ...

—originated in or were formalised in Maharashtra. In rural areas of Maharashtra, kusti (Indian mud wrestling) and bullock cart competitions can regularly be seen during the annual ''jatra'' carnival. The Maharashtran government has supported kusti in the state by constructing two permanent training centers for the sport in the

area.

Indian wrestling

Despite cricket's dominance in most of India, wrestling has maintained its popularity in Maharashtra, especially in the rural regions of the state and Kolhapur district. One famous wrestler from the state was

Khashaba Jadhav Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav (15 January 1925 – 14 August 1984) was an Indian freestyle wrestler. He is best known for winning a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He was the first athlete from independent India to win an indi ...

, who won a bronze medal in the

1952 Helsinki Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952 in Helsinki, Finland. After Japan declared in ...

; he was the first citizen from the newly independent nation of India to win an Olympic medal in an individual sport. In kusti, a style of traditional wrestling, matches are typically held in a clay or dirt pit in which the soil is mixed with

ghee Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals. Description Ghee is typically prepared by ...

and other materials. This sport encompasses an ancient subculture in which wrestlers live and train together and following strict rules on diet and leisure. The focus is on living a pure life and building one's strength and skills, and abstaining from drinking, smoking, and sex. The wrestlers' diets consist of

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

, ghee, eggs, and chapattis. Kusti represents the intersection of sports, politics, and culture and is deeply embedded in the agrarian economy of rural Maharashtra. Another style of wrestling popular in Maharashtra is that associated with Hind Kesari, a wrestling championship established in 1958 and affiliated with the All India Amateur Wrestling Federation (AIAWF). Most common in the rural areas of western Maharashtra, wrestlers train in schools called ''taleems'', in which wrestling gurus instruct students on both physical and moral instruction in a style of wrestling that blends spiritual and secular practices. The largest tournaments in the state draw top wrestlers from the region and even outside India, including from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, and several African nations.

Field hockey

Field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

is one of the most popular sports in Maharashtra. Up to thirty domestic tournaments of the sport are held in a calendar year in Pune alone, such as the All India Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament and the All India Aagha Khan Hockey Tournament. The state is home to three hockey clubs playing in different leagues, and was home to a now-defunct club called the

Maratha Warriors The Maratha Warriors were a field hockey team from Maharashtra, India that competed in the now defunct Premier Hockey League Premier Hockey League (PHL) was a professional field hockey league in India. There were seven teams in the PHL. Th ...

, who competed in the

Premier Hockey League Premier Hockey League (PHL) was a professional field hockey league in India. There were seven teams in the PHL. The competition was held every year from 2005 until 2008. History The competition conceptualized by Anurag Dahiya of ESPN Star ...

. The

Mumbai Magicians Mumbai Magicians was a professional field hockey team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that played in the Hockey India League from 2012 to 2014. It was owned by Dabur India. Australian coach Ric Charlesworth was the head coach for the team. Franc ...

are based in Mumbai and play in the

Hockey India League Hockey India League is a professional field hockey league in India. It is organized by Hockey India, the governing body for the sport in India. It is considered one of the major sports leagues of the country. It was founded in 2013 as a part ...

. The

Mumbai Marines Mumbai Marines (MM), initially known as ''Mumbai Warriors'', was a professional field hockey team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was owned by Ashish Bharatram and Harish Thawani. It was coached by ...

and the

Pune Strykers Pune Strykers (abbreviated as PS) was an Indian professional field hockey team based in Pune, Maharashtra that played in the World Series Hockey. The team was owned by Sai Grace Sports & Events Private Limited. PCMC Hockey Stadium in Pune is t ...

play in the

World Series Hockey World Series Hockey (WSH) was a professional league for field hockey competition in India. It was organised by Indian Hockey Federation with the objective to reinvigorate hockey in India. It was contested among eight franchise-based teams cons ...

Mahindra Hockey Stadium Mahindra Hockey Stadium is a field hockey stadium at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is the home of the Mumbai Marines of the World Series Hockey and Mumbai Magicians of the Hockey India League Hockey India League is a professional fiel ...

serves as the home venue of the Mumbai Marines and Mumbai Magicians, and used to be the home venue of the Maratha Warriors. The stadium hosted the

1982 Men's Hockey World Cup The 1982 Men's Hockey World Cup was the fifth edition of the Hockey World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national field hockey teams organized by the FIH. The event took place from 29 December 1981 to 12 January 1982 in Mumb ...

PCMC Hockey Stadium PCMC Hockey Stadium also known as The Major Dhyanachand Stadium is a field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in ...

serves as the home venue of the Pune Strykers. Many individual Maharashtrian have also contributed to India's hockey legacy.

Tushar Khandekar Tushar Khandker (born 5 April 1985) is an Indian people, Indian field hockey coach and former field hockey player. He represented India in Men's Hockey during the 2012 London Olympics. Khandker comes from a family of hockey players as his fath ...

is referred to as "the Goal Poacher". Hiranna M. Nimal was a silver medalist at the

1962 Asian Games The 1962 Asian Games () also known as the 4th Asian Games, IV Asiad, and Jakarta 1962, were the fourth edition of pan-Asian multi-sport event sanctioned by the Asian Games Federation (AGF). The games were held from 24 August to 4 September 1962, ...

and also represented Maharashtra in many other national and international leagues. Other notable hockey stars from the state include

Dhanraj Pillay Dhanraj Pillay (born 16 July 1968) is a retired Indian field hockey player and former captain of the India national team. He also looks after the Air India Sports Promotion Board as a Joint Secretary based in Mumbai. For the last 5 years, Dhan ...

and

Viren Rasquinha Viren Wilfred Rasquinha (born 13 September 1980) is an Indian former field hockey player and captain of the Indian national team. He was a member of the team that competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He quit international hockey in 2008 to ...

Cricket

is played at domestic and international levels in Maharashtra and is consistently supported by people from most parts of the state. Maharashtra is home to the

Vidarbha cricket team The Vidarbha cricket team is an Indian domestic cricket team plays in the India's domestic first-class cricket competition Ranji Trophy and limited-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. It represents the Vidarbha region of ea ...

Veer Marathi The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an exhibition men's cricket league in India. It consists of eight teams of film actors from different film industry, film industries of cinema of India, Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman K ...

cricket franchise,

, and the regionally dominant

. The Mumbai cricket team was the dominant franchise for much of the 20th century, winning the first

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy is a premier domestic first-class cricket championship played in India and organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The teams representing regional and state cricket associations participate. BCCI ...

Championship over North India in 1935 and winning fifteen consecutive Ranji Trophy victories between 1958–1973. Mumbai is the most successful team in the history of the Ranji Trophy championship, winning 40 titles over the course of its history, as well as the most successful team in the

Irani Cup The Irani Cup, also known as the IDFC First Bank Irani Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual one-off First-Class cricket match organised by the BCCI and contested each season by the reigning Ranji Trophy champions and a multi-state RoI ...

, with 16 titles won. The Mumbai cricket team is overseen by the

and the Maharashtra cricket team is overseen by the

. The Mumbai cricket team and Mumbai Indians both have their home grounds at

Wankhede Stadium Wankhede Stadium (pronounced �aːnkʰeɖe is an international cricket stadium in Mumbai, India. It is owned and operated by the Mumbai Cricket Association and is the home ground of the Mumbai Indians. It houses the headquarters of the Boar ...

, an international cricket ground. Both teams play in the

, of which the Mumbai Indians was one of eight founding members in 2008. The Maharashtra Cricket Association set up a T20 franchise league called Maharashtra Premier League (MPL) in 2023, which has six teams. It sold the franchise rights for 57 crore rupees for three years through open bidding. The inaugural season was expected to start on 15 June 2023, at the association's Pune's stadium. Maharashtra is home to India's first cricket museum, Blades of Glory, which is based in Pune and run by Rohan Pate, a former cricketer. It opened during the 2013 Indian Premier League season.

Football

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

is another popular sport in many parts of the state, with the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

and the English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

being followed widely. The Maharashtra Football Pyramid consists of district leagues, each of which are broken into sub-leagues. This pyramid operates during the whole calendar year, but at different times. In the

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

, Mumbai was represented by

Mumbai FC Mumbai Football Club was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The club predominantly competed in I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. Mumbai also participated in MDFA Elite League. The club ...

Mahindra United Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Founded in 1962, the club competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system, bef ...

, and

Air-India Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...

Pune FC Pune Football Club was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. The club competed in I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. The club was one of the most professional clubs in Indian football histor ...

was established in August 2007 and is a recently founded football club in the I-League. There is local rivalry among the Mumbai-based clubs Air India FC and Mumbai FC, and state rivalry with Pune FC. Matches between these teams are called the "Maha Derby", as they are played in Maharashtra. Maharashtra is also represented in the

Santosh Trophy The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), th ...

by the

Maharashtra football team The Maharashtra football team, also earlier the Bombay football team, is an Indian football team representing Maharashtra in Indian state football competitions including the Santosh Trophy. They have appeared in the Santosh Trophy finals 15 t ...

, who last won the trophy in the 1999–2000 season. The

(WIFA) signed a deal with Sporting Ace, a sports management company, to infuse new investments into Maharashtra football. The Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) is the organisation responsible for association football in and around Mumbai. The MDFA organises around seven leagues that contain more than 300 club sides in total, in addition to being responsible for six of India's I-League sides. Seven-a-side football is also hugely popular in Maharashtra. The eighth Motilal Mathurawala Trophy Seven-a-side Junior National Football Championship was held in Pune.

Football clubs in Maharashtra

American football

Maharashtra has two club franchises which play

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

in the

Elite Football League of India The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) was a professional American football league based in India. It was founded with eight franchises in 2011, and now has 23 franchises throughout South Asia, among whom 20 located in India, two in Sri Lank ...

. The

Mumbai Gladiators The Mumbai Gladiators are a professional American football team based in Mumbai, India. The Gladiators are one of the first eight franchises of the Elite Football League of India (EFLI) and compete in its inaugural season in 2012 20 ...

is a team based in Mumbai and the Pune Marathas is a team based in Pune with the

Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex The Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, also known as Balewadi Stadium, is a sports complex located in Pune, India. The complex is situated about 15 km from downtown Pune and 5 km from Hinjawadi. This complex was a venue for the 200 ...

as its home stadium. Maharashtra hosted the First Youth National American Football Championship in 2007 in which the

and Pune Marathas played their first match against each other. However, neither team won the championship, which was instead won by the visiting Manipur team.

Derby (horse racing)

The

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

season in Maharashtra starts in mid-November and ends in the last week of April. Every February, Mumbai holds

derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

races at the

. Since 1986, McDowell's Indian Derby has been sponsored by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's UB Group as

The McDowell's Indian Derby The Indian Derby is an annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is run over 2,400-metres and held on the first Sunday of February at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. History The "Indian Derby" is the premier horse racing event of the country held ...

. The Mahalaxmi Racecourse horse racing track is one of two racecourses in Maharashtra. The track is oval with a straight chute spread over approximately . It was built in 1883 and modelled on the

Caulfield Racecourse Caulfield Racecourse is one of Melbourne, Australia's best-known horse-racing tracks. Commonly known as "The Heath" by local racegoers, It is home to the Melbourne Racing Club. Horse-racing started there in 1859 on a bush track where the Melbo ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

is the second racecourse in Maharashtra. It was built in 1830 and covers .

Grand Prix

In March 2004, the Mumbai Grand Prix was part of the

F1 powerboat world championship The Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship (also F1) is an international motorboat racing competition for powerboats organised by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) and promoted by H2O Racing, hence it often being referred to as F1H2O. ...

, and the

Force India Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was a Formula One racing team and constructor based in Silverstone, United Kingdom, with an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 200 ...

F1 team car was unveiled in Mumbai in 2008. As of 2011, the city plans to build its own F1 track and various sites were assessed, of which the authorities have narrowed down to either Marve-Malad or Panvel-Kalyan. If approved, the track will be clubbed with a theme park and will spread over .

Marathon

Mumbai Marathon

In 2004, the annual

Mumbai Marathon The Mumbai Marathon (known as the Tata Mumbai Marathon for sponsorship reasons by Tata Group), is an annual international marathon held in Mumbai, India, on the third Sunday of January every year. It is the largest marathon in Asia as well as th ...

was established as a part of "

The Greatest Race on Earth The Greatest Race on Earth (GROE) was a four-part series of marathon races in a relay format, which included the Nairobi Marathon, Singapore Marathon, Mumbai Marathon and Hong Kong Marathon. It was created and sponsored by Standard Chartered i ...

". The Mumbai Marathon is an annual international marathon held on the third Sunday of January. The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon is India's biggest charity platform.

Pune Marathon

The

Pune International Marathon The Pune International Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race held in Pune, India. The first edition of the race was held on September 25, 1983, and the 36th edition will be held in December 2022. It attracts many international participants, ...

is an annual marathon held in

; it was established in 1983 and was the first Indian marathon to be certified by the

AIMS AIMS or Aims may refer to: Education * Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India * Adventist International Mission School, Muak Lek, Thailand * African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, South Afri ...

. The

Athletics Federation of India The Athletics Federation of India is the national governing body for the sport of athletics in India, and is responsible for conducting competitions in the country. It was formed in 1943. It is affiliated to World Athletics and Asian Athletics As ...

has awarded the status of National Marathon Championship to the Pune International Marathon. Funds raised from the race are donated to

Project Concern International PCI (Project Concern International) is a non-profit, humanitarian NGO based in San Diego, California. PCI reaches nearly 19 million people a year through programs in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. PCI's programs address a broad range of topic ...

, an NGO working towards

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

awareness and prevention.

Tennis

ATP 250 The ATP 250 tournaments (previously known as the ''ATP World Tour 250'' tournaments, ''ATP International Series'', and ''ATP World Series'') are the lowest tier of annual men's tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour, after the four Grand Slam (t ...

is annually organised in Pune. It is India's only international level

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

tournament, with singles and doubles male players from the country and abroad participating. It is organised by Maharashtra Lawn Tennis Association, which is the governing body of this sport in the state. Maharashtra has a franchise-based tennis league, the

Maharashtra Tennis League Maharashtra () is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states o ...

(MTL), which is India's first league format in tennis. The MTL launched with a total of 80 players and five teams: the Mumbai Blasters, Sharp Smashers, Baseline Bombers, Accurate Aces, and Dazzling Deuces. Each team in the league consists of six players, at least two of which must be women and at least one of which must be from Maharashtra. One famous Maharashtrian tennis player was

Gaurav Natekar Gaurav Natekar (born 4 April 1972) is a seven-time Indian National Tennis Champion. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1996 for Tennis. His father, Nandu M. Natekar, was a national-level Indian badminton champion. Achievements *Represented the ...

, a former

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...

player and seven-time Indian National Tennis Champion. He was awarded the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

for Tennis in 1996. Mumbai has hosted the

Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open The Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open (known as the ''Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open'' for sponsorship reasons) was a professional men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was part of the International Series of the ATP Tour and ...

, an International Series tournament of the

ATP World Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Pri ...

, in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

. The tournaments were played on outdoor hard courts at the

Cricket Club of India Cricket Club of India (CCI) is a cricket club located on Dinsha Wacha Road, in Churchgate of Mumbai, India. It was conceived as India's counterpart to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It is considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the na ...

in Mumbai.

Chess

Maharashtra has a five-decade-long

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

culture.Maharashtra Chess League in offing - Times Of India
/ref> The first chess association in Maharashtra was formed in 1921 and was known as the South Maharashtra Chess Club.::Maharashtra Chess Association ::
/ref> The Sangali Chess Society was established in 1930. The Southern Maratha Country Chess Association originated in 1955. With the growth of the game in the state, the first chess body in Mumbai, known as the Bombay Chess Association, was established in 1944. Open chess tournaments started in the city in 1945. Then, in 1950, the All India Chess Federation was started in Mumbai and held tournaments at the national level for five years afterwards in Mumbai. The first Inter-State Championship was held in 1960. In 1963, the Bombay Chess Association and Southern Maratha Country Chess Association merged to form the Maharashtra Chess Association. The Maharashtra Chess League, the first-ever IPL style chess league in India, started the PYC Hindu Gymkhana club in Pune on 24 April 2013.Maharashtra Chess League to kick off in city today - Indian Express
/ref> The tournament played on a league-cum-knock-out basis. Each team played the other five teams once, with the top four teams at the end of the league stage making it to the semifinals. Maharashtra has produced many notable chess players, including

Abhijit Kunte Abhijit Kunte (born 3 March 1977) is an Indian chess player from Pune who holds the FIDE title of Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster. Biography He has participated many times in the Indian Chess Championship, winning two gold medals (1997, 2000) ...

, Praveen Thipsay,

Rohini Khadilkar Rohini Khadilkar (born 1 April 1963 in Mumbai) is a chess player holding the title of Woman International Master (WIM). She has won the Indian women's championship five times and the Asian women's championship twice. She was the first fem ...

, and

Anupama Gokhale Anupama Gokhale (born Anupama Abhyankar; 17 May 1969) is an Indian chess player. She won the Indian Women's Championship five times (1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, and 1997) and the Asian Women's Championship twice (1985 and 1987). In 1985 she was a ...

References

External links

*
Maharashtra Amateur Athletic Association

Para Athletic Association of Maharashtra
{{Sport in India

History

Pre-colonial sports

Imported sports under British rule

Indigenous sports under British rule

Administration

Sports policy

Indigenous sports

Indian wrestling

Field hockey

Cricket

Football

Football clubs in Maharashtra

American football

Derby (horse racing)

Grand Prix

Marathon

Mumbai Marathon

Pune Marathon

Tennis

Chess

See also

References

External links