Sourav Ganguly bats for kabaddi, urged Bengal Warriors to win title for Kolkata

Kolkata: Enthralling a packed crowd with his recitation of the National Anthem to kick off the Kolkata leg of the Pro Kabaddi League, former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday batted for the sport and urged the local franchise Bengal Warriors to win it for the city.

Bengal Warriors, who finished second from the bottom in the eight team league in the inaugural edition, need to take a bit of 'panga' (chances) was Ganguly's mantra.

"They have to take a bit of 'panga'. We have won the IPL and the ISL as well. Hope in kabaddi too we win the title," Ganguly said jokingly: "Let's just hope the Abhishek Bachchan's team play complacently."

All praise for the league, Ganguly said: "Honestly, I've not played but I've seen a few matches. This a different atmosphere. This league is a very good platform for domestic players. Hope the next four days will be full of excitement. We had great reports about the league. It's a great success, different leagues have come up. A big congratulations to Star Sports to popularise our 'national sport'."

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly sings the National Anthem in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee before the start of the match. (Photo: PTI)

On singing the National Anthem in front of both the teams and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Ganguly confessed: "I've rehearsed it a lot." Terming it her favourite sport, Mamata said: "It's a grass root sport, everyone loves it. We all have played during our childhood. I like kabaddi like anything. It's my favourite game."