Pink City, the leading destination for Polo in the country, will once again witness exhilarating polo matches as this year’s Jaipur Polo Season has begun from 1 February at the Rajasthan Polo Club. Usually held in January, this year the season witnessed a slight delay owing to the spike in Covid-19 pandemic, the travel restrictions induced by it as well as the extreme cold. To be held till 27 February, this year too there will be several tournaments, exhibition matches as well as initiatives to promote polo for ladies as well as the new players. Below are the highlights of the Jaipur Polo Season 2022:
Star Attractions of the Season
The highlight of the season will once again be a 16 goal Jaipur Open Tournament for the Brig. HH Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, MVC Jaipur Cup. This Tournament will be from 21 February to 27 February. This high-handicap match was played last year as well as a part of the Jaipur Open Championship.
The 14-goal Sirmour Cup, to be held from 14 February to 20 February, will be another much anticipated tournament, like every year. The other tournaments include Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Gold Vase (10 goals) and The Rajmata Gayatri Devi Memorial Cup (8 goals).
Ladies Polo Match
Looking at the success and huge enthusiasm for Ladies Polo since last three years, the Ladies’ Polo Match will also be held once again as a part of the Foundation, which has already been working for the empowerment of women in the state. The idea is to encourage women to increasingly take up the game of horse polo. It will be held on 26 February in collaboration with the Princess Diya Kumari
Out of the Hat Tournament
Post the polo tournaments, a week has especially been chalked out to promote young and local talent as well as upcoming polo players. This will take place as the ‘Out of the Hat Tournament’ from 28 February to 6 March.
Exhibition Matches
During the season, on each Saturday there will be an exhibition match. These will include the Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Memorial Cup on 5 February, Maharaj Prithi Singh Baria Cup on 12 February and the HH Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur International Shield on 19 February.
Participation of top polo players
The Jaipur polo season this year will witness top polo players including Tomas F Llorente (+8); Augustin Grassi Grossi (+7); Manuel F Llorente, Chris Mackenzie, Juan Cruz Losada (+6 each); Daniel Otamendi, Lance Watson and Simran Shergill (+5 each); Padmanabh Singh, Samir Suhag and Syed Shamsheer Ali (+4 each); Gonzalo Yanzon and Lt Col Vishal Chauhan (+3 each), among others. It is worth noting that the number of international players participating in this season of Jaipur Polo is higher than any other center in India. Some officers from the Army will also be participating in the polo tournament.
JAIPUR: A LEADING DESTINATION FOR POLO
“Jaipur, as you can see, has fast emerged as a leading polo destination in the country. The Rajasthan Polo Club has also hosted three tournaments in December which were well-received by the polo lovers of the city. Owing to the love and visibility the game gets in Jaipur, the players as well as other stakeholders do not miss a chance to be here. Though the pandemic has been a setback: we do have a blueprint for taking the game of polo to greater heights.” says Padmanabh Singh, a passionate polo player and a custodian of the game.
Commenting on the changing trends in the game, he added: “In the past few years, some of the polo teams have become quite professional and organized. In coming times, the competition in the game is only going to increase. Earnest efforts are also being made to make the sport more accessible, eye-catchy and spectator-friendly. ”
Tusharika Singh
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