The Leela Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Polo Cup was held in Jaipur between 4-9 February. The tournament, which was won by team Jaipur, was captained by Sawai Padmanabh Singh, a member of the royal family of the city.

Alongside being seen as the face of the sport in India, Singh is also the face of brands like The Leela Group and US Polo Association.

We caught up with him soon after the victory.

Edited excerpts:

What’s the current scenario of the game of polo in India? Where do you rank it in comparison to the likes of Argentina, who would be currently dominating the sport?

I’ll give a bit of a background about the sport. Back in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, India was the world’s premier destination for polo. We produced the best players, horses and fields across cities like Patiala, Jodhpur and Jaipur. We dominated the world of polo then. 

The Argentineans also started focusing on the sport around the 1950s. This coincided with the Indian economy slumping, and there was a lot of opposition to the sport. During Indira Gandhi’s time, there was virtually no growth in the country, and that affected the growth of the sport too.

The army stepped in and protected the sport and kept it going. 

Over the past 25-30 years, corporates, brands and playing patrons have entered into the sport. The last five years have seen more of a resurgence. We have more players playing the sport. Jaipur had five grounds – but in the last year, it has doubled to 10. The horses would have doubled just like the players. Polo is growing again in India now.

While players are doubling is this a viable career option now or is it still seen as a hobby alongside a career?

Given the sponsors and brands involved in it, players are getting the financial reward too. It’s still just scratching the surface though and there’s a lot of potential and one can certainly make a career out of it.

You mentioned brands being involved. How’s the brand interest growing in the sport?

It’s growing rapidly. Today, we had The Leela Group, supporting as a title sponsor. We have had partnerships with US Polo Association (USPA) too. We also have brands like Raffles, Adani Group, and AU Bank also interested in the sport and partnering with it. 

Polo is seen as an elitist sport. Can that hamper the growth of it in India?

I don’t look at a sport as an elitist sport. An elitist sport is one that is closed to outsiders completely. This doesn’t fall under that category. We end up having thousands of people attending games. 

I like comparing it to sports like Formula 1. Most people who follow Formula 1, don’t like or get to race. Sports cater to various categories of people in different ways. It’s not always about playing a sport to engage with it. One can be a spectator or sponsor too. This event has a lot of vendors who have partnered with it to showcase their brands to the audience who come to watch the sport too.

Given it’s an expensive sport to enter, as horses and training costs a lot of money, can brands help at the grassroot level?

Absolutely. A lot of players are entering the sport that don’t have the resources. They are getting the financial support as they are getting picked up by brands who want to sponsor them and help them train.

On the personal front, how do you pick the brands to partner with?

I try to enter partnerships that I resonate with. For example, The Leela Group has stood for Indian luxury. It’s luxury that elevates people’s lives and supports tourism in the state too. So, it’s a pleasure to work with them.

Similarly, with USPA, the brand resonates with me because they have supported the sport of polo through sponsorships. I want to further the growth of the sport along with them.

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