Kodagu Team Clinch Women’s Throwball Title at Isha Gramotsavam Karnataka finals

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa, actress Srinidhi Shetty and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev share the dais during the Karnataka Regional Finals of Isha Gramotsavam at Sadhguru Sannidhi, Chikkaballapur.

Bengaluru: The Women’s Throwball team, Black Panthers from Maragodu, Kodagu, emerged champions at the Karnataka Regional Finals of Isha Gramotsavam 2025, overcoming Team Shasthara Padumale (Kudla Strikers) from Badagannuru, Dakshina Kannada. The thrilling contest was one of the highlights of the rural sports festival held at Sadhguru Sannidhi of Isha Foundation in Chikkaballapura on Sunday.

Isha Gramotsavam, launched by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha Foundation in 2004, has grown into India’s largest rural sports festival, spanning more than 35,000 villages across the country. The festival aims to revive the spirit of rural play, bringing together farmers, daily wage workers and women householders in a celebration of community and sport, according to a release by Isha Foundation.

The release further stated that this year, over 7,200 participants from 18 districts of Karnataka competed in the divisional matches. “At the regional finals, 18 men’s volleyball teams and 14 women’s throwball teams battled for supremacy, drawing loud cheers from spectators who were kept on edge with nail-biting finishes,” release added.

In men’s volleyball, Team Ibbani from Heggadihalli, Bangalore Rural, defeated Team Appu Boys from Marasanahalli Panchayat, Chikkaballapur, to take home the regional title. Both the men’s and women’s champions received ₹12,000 in prize money, while the runners-up were awarded ₹8,000 each.

The victorious teams will now advance to the Grand Finale, scheduled to be held at the iconic 112-ft Adiyogi at the Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu where state champions from across the country will vie for the coveted Isha Gramotsavam 2025 national championship. At the national level, winners will share a prize pool of ₹67 lakh, with ₹5 lakh each reserved for the men’s and women’s champions.

Sadhguru, addressing the gathering, said, “Isha Gramotsavam is about raising the human spirit in rural India. Traditional avenues of entertainment have declined over the years, and we want to bring back the playfulness of sport so that life’s burdens can be carried lightly.”

The festival also drew special guests, including former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa and actress Srinidhi Shetty.

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