Handball is the second fastest sport in the world and has been a regular Olympic event. It has been more than 50 years since it came to India. This time at the Olympics, France won the men’s and women’s gold medals, while Denmark and Spain won the men’s silver and bronze medals respectively, but India is yet to qualify for the Olympics. That is why with the aim of making Indian handball world class, PHL i.e. Premier Handball League has been started. For their much-awaited inaugural edition, PHL has announced ‘Garvit Gujarat’ as their first ever franchise team.
PHL is exclusively licensed by Bluesport Entertainment Pvt Ltd under the aegis of Handball Federation of India.
The Gujarat team will be among the six franchise teams that will compete in the first season of the league. This team is owned by ‘Garvit Sports Private Limited’ ie GSPL. It is worth mentioning that GSPL is co-owned by country’s top former handball player and renowned sports administrator Roopkumar alias Paplu Naidu who hails from Nagpur. It is a matter of pride for the whole of Vidarbha and Maharashtra.
Paplu Naidu really wants to bring global standards to Indian handball. He himself has been an international handball player and Indian captain and is a Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Award winner. He was part of the Indian team at the 1979 Asian Championship in China as well as the country’s first international appearance at the 1982 Asian Games and later as a visionary administrator.
The inaugural edition of the PHL is scheduled to take place next year, ensuring the presence of top-class players from across the world. After which, of course, the face of Indian handball is about to change and the spectators are about to feel a new thrill.
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