Eklavya award

Kho Kho World Cup: The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) on Thursday announced the Indian men’s and women’s squads for the Kho Kho World Cup, to be held here at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from January 13 to 19. The inaugural edition of this mega event, organised jointly by KKFI and the International Kho Kho Federation (IKKF), will see participation from 20 men’s and 19 women’s teams, with 23 countries making their way to our beautiful country for the tournament.

Leading the men’s team will be Pratik Waikar. The Eklavya Award winner, who made his India debut in 2016, began playing Kho Kho at age eight, inspired by his neighbour. Despite holding degrees in Computer Science and Finance, he pursued Kho Kho professionally, securing a job through the sports quota. He captained Telugu Yoddhas to runners-up position in the Ultimate Kho Kho League and led Maharashtra to gold in the 56th Senior National Championship.

"It's a dream come true moment for me. When the officials were making the announcement, I had goosebumps. Having played Kho Kho for a very long time, I was just excited, waiting to hear my name being announced as part of the Indian team as captain. This is a huge achievement for me because leading our country at the first-ever Kho Kho World Cup on home soil is the biggest achievement of my career,” said Pratilk after the announcement.