First-ever International 'Indian Roll Ball League' set to hit screens in 2025

The world of sports is demanding. It requires constant innovation to captivate spectators.

Leading this charge of innovation is SportzTank Pvt Ltd, a pioneering sports management and consulting firm with roots in India. They are all set to host the first-ever International Roll Ball League named 'Indian Roll Ball League' (IRBL) later this year.

Roll Ball is an Indian invention. The sport was born in Pune more than two decades back in 2003. It is the brainchild of Raju Dabhade – a PT teacher – with the vision to create a fast-paced, skill-based sport suitable for global appeal.

The sport has since spread globally and is now played across 60 countries in five continents.

SportzTank Pvt Ltd with the ambitious venture of Indian Roll Ball League, aims to elevate the homegrown sport to never-seen-before heights.

"At SportzTank, we’ve always believed that India is not just a consumer of international leagues – but a creator of them," said Sandeep Sharma, the CEO and Founder of SportzTank Pvt Ltd.

"The idea of the Indian Roll Ball League (IRBL) emerged from this conviction and a keen eye on India’s rich but underutilised skating talent.

"What made it compelling was the presence of over 60 Roll Ball-playing countries, combined with a deeply engaged skating community in India, yet there was no commercial or structured platform for athletes to showcase their talent professionally," he added.

"The Indian Roll Ball League came into fruition after months of collaborative discussions with Roll Ball Federation of India and other key stakeholders with a vision to package the sport for television and OTT audiences," said Sachin Joshi, Director and Partner at SportzTank Pvt Ltd.

But, the journey wasn't easy. There were challenges ranging from building awareness about the sport, onboarding franchises to scouting players.

"Launching the first-ever IRBL is coming up with its own set of challenges – aligning international and national players, sponsorships for the new sport and creating a comprehensive broadcast and marketing strategy," said Sharma.

"We also had to work rigorously on infrastructure readiness and talent scouting, while ensuring the league maintained global sporting standards," he added.

All of it fell in place one after the other and the inaugural edition of the Indian Roll Ball League is set to be hosted in 2025 in Pune – the birthplace of Roll Ball. The league will feature six teams with each teams consisting of three foreign players.

The Indian Roll Ball League takes inspiration from the Pro Kabaddi League and Ultimate Kho Kho – two franchise-based tournaments born out of sports indigenous to India.

"Both Kabaddi and Kho Kho are indigenous Indian sports with deep cultural roots, especially in rural and school-level competitions. Their transformation began when they were reimagined as professional, fast-paced viewing sports, optimised for broadcast," said Sharma.

"IRBL follows this model to make Roll Ball the next big sporting revolution," he added.

The Indian Roll Ball League will function under the aegis of Roll Ball Federation of India, ensuring adherence to national and international rules. The two parties signed an agreement that brings together governance, vision, and commercial expertise to elevate Roll Ball to a national and international sporting spectacle.

Sharma believes the Indian Roll Ball League will help in popularising the sport even further and lead to masses taking up the sport.

"Roll Ball, with its unique blend of speed, agility, and strategy, is perfectly aligned with the evolving sports culture in India, where audiences are increasingly embracing fast-paced and dynamic games. As grassroots participation expands through schools and state-level federations, we foresee Roll Ball becoming a mainstream sport – especially among the youth," he said.

"With the involvement of star ambassadors and city-based franchises, IRBL will create strong local identities and emotional connections, making Roll Ball a household name across the country. The league will generate mass awareness, media coverage, and brand investments, all of which contribute to deeper penetration," Sharma added.

The first-ever edition of the Indian Roll Ball League will witness 17 thrilling days of Roll Ball action broadcast live on a leading TV channel, promising edge-of-the-seat excitement.