Gujarat Kabaddi League Gets Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes Team
Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes Enters Gujarat Kabaddi League with Plans for Wider Player Development
The Gujarat Kabaddi League is set to get an Ahmedabad franchise with the launch of Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes, a team associated with Pentaforce Sports. The team says its plans go beyond participation in the league, with a focus on player training, new facilities and a wider talent search across Gujarat.
The launch comes as the Gujarat State Kabaddi Association works to establish the Gujarat Kabaddi League as a state-level competition. The new league is expected to give players from different parts of Gujarat another route into organised competitive kabaddi.
For Ahmedabad, the move comes against a background of strong links with professional kabaddi. The city has hosted major kabaddi events and was the home venue of Gujarat Fortunegiants, now known as Gujarat Giants, when the team entered the Pro Kabaddi League in 2017. Ahmedabad also hosted the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup. The Pro Kabaddi League has since helped take the sport to a much larger television and digital audience.
The Gujarat Giants continue to play their home matches in Ahmedabad at The Arena by TransStadia, keeping the city connected with top-level professional kabaddi.
Against this backdrop, the proposed Gujarat Kabaddi League could provide a more local competition structure for players who are still trying to reach the national and professional level.
Sports promoter Jagat Patel, who is associated with the Ahmedabad initiative, said his interest in the project extends beyond the league itself.
“After the announcement of the Gujarat Kabaddi League, I was approached as a person associated with sports. However, my objective is not limited to this league. I have joined this initiative to develop modern facilities for sports, including kabaddi, in Ahmedabad and Gujarat, providing training and guidance to players, and creating more competitive opportunities for them.”
Patel said Gujarat already has players with the ability to progress, but they need regular access to coaching and competition.
“Kabaddi is one of India’s traditional and popular sports. Over the past few years, the recognition kabaddi has received at the professional level has increased interest in the sport among the youth. Gujarat also has no shortage of talented players. What is needed is to provide the right platform, quality training, guidance and regular opportunities to compete.”
He also pointed to the wider role of sports training in the development of young players.
“Kabaddi is important not only as a sport but also as a means of developing teamwork, discipline, physical ability, confidence and quick decision-making skills among the youth. Therefore, organising competitions alone is not enough for the development of the sport. It is also important to provide players with coaching, fitness, proper nutrition and modern sports facilities.”
Pentaforce Sports is planning a kabaddi academy in the coming period. The organisation estimates that about 400 players are currently training in kabaddi in Ahmedabad. Its stated target is to take that figure beyond 4,000 players within a short period. The plan would involve finding players from different parts of Gujarat and linking them with training and competitive opportunities.
The emphasis on talent identification follows a pattern already seen in Indian kabaddi. In 2018, the Future Kabaddi Heroes programme held trials in Ahmedabad to identify young players for the professional circuit. The programme drew aspirants from across Gujarat, showing the interest that existed among young players even before the current push for a state league.
Bhaskar Bhatt, who is associated with Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes, said discussions about joining the Gujarat Kabaddi League led him to examine the condition of the sport in the state.
“When the initiative to start the Gujarat Kabaddi League came up, some of my colleagues discussed with me about joining this initiative. After that, I tried to understand the status of kabaddi in Gujarat, the opportunities available to players and the challenges they face. After this entire process, I felt that there is a need to provide a stronger and more organised platform for kabaddi in Gujarat.”
Bhatt said the team wants to look beyond Ahmedabad when considering future players.
“It is important to make kabaddi, one of the popular sports in the country, more and more popular in Gujarat. The objective of Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes is not limited to just one league or competition. Efforts will be made to create a long-term environment for kabaddi in the state and provide opportunities for talent from different cities and rural areas to come forward.”
Gujarat already has a broad state sports structure. The Sports Authority of Gujarat runs the Khel Mahakumbh programme, with competitions covering districts and municipal areas across the state. Kabaddi is also part of the wider sports infrastructure available in Gujarat.
Bhatt said the same approach should apply to other sports.
“In my view, not only kabaddi but all other sports in Gujarat should also get proper priority and a platform. There are many sports in the state in which our youth have the potential to perform well at the national and international levels. There is a need to make continuous efforts to provide them with proper facilities, training and guidance.”
The state has also hosted major national kabaddi competitions. In February 2026, the Gujarat State Kabaddi Association hosted the 72nd Senior National Kabaddi Championship for men in Vadodara under the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India. The event brought teams from across the country and placed Gujarat at the centre of the national domestic kabaddi calendar.
Bhatt also said sports bodies and players should have a stronger channel for raising their concerns with the authorities.
“If players or organisations associated with sports have any issues and there is a need to raise them with the government, I will always support in taking the players’ concerns to the appropriate level. Better coordination between the government, sports associations, coaches, players and people associated with sports is also necessary.”
Ahmedabad Heritage Heroes and Pentaforce Sports will now be watched on how far these plans move beyond the league itself. The immediate test will be the team’s participation in the Gujarat Kabaddi League. The longer test will be whether the proposed academy, wider talent search and training plans can create more opportunities for young players in Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat.
The initiative is being taken forward with the support of the Gujarat State Kabaddi Association, Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India, Shri Bhagwan Sahay Yogiji and Shri K.C. Suthar.
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