Yogasana Super League: An IPL-themed competition to promote yoga’s Olympic dream
The first Yogasana World Championships left the sport optimistic about its future and long-term sustainability. The vision has always been clear – to put Yogasana on the biggest possible stage, especially if India succeeds in its bid to host the 2036 Olympics, with Ahmedabad expected to be at the center of the celebrations.
India dominated the inaugural World Yoga Championships, winning 80 medals, including 70 gold. But beyond the medal standings, the focus has now shifted towards what comes next.
The first big milestone is for Yogasana to become a demonstration sport at the Olympics. Yogasana Bharat President Udit Sheth revealed that the plan starts well before 2036.
“You can see that by 2032 you might get a demo, not a medal, because before then it should become a medal sport at the Commonwealth Games,” Sheth told the media on the sidelines of the World Yoga Championships.
“Before that, maybe in 2028 or 2030, you can see it in the Asian Games as a medal sport as well. When it becomes a medal sport, then we can talk about the Olympics.”
Alongside the Olympic push is perhaps the most ambitious project yet — the launch of an IPL-inspired franchise competition, the Yogasana Super League.
Sheth revealed that almost 90 percent of the preparations for the league are complete and the project is ready to move to the next phase.
The league is expected to become a key pillar in Yogasana’s push for Olympic recognition while helping to expand the sport’s global footprint.
WHAT IS THE FORMAT?
According to Sheth, the league will not follow a traditional sports structure. Instead, it will combine elements of entertainment and elite competition, borrowing ideas from reality talent shows while maintaining the competitive edge of franchise sports.
Yogasana chief Bharat said the league will be a hybrid model, drawing inspiration from shows like America’s Got Talent and Indian Idol while incorporating elements of the football franchise and league ecosystem.
Importantly, it won’t be as long as Major League Soccer, which stretches over six months.
The competition is expected to start with eight teams and then gradually expand to a larger ecosystem.
“The league will be a hybrid format between America’s Got Talent or Indian Idol with a cross between football’s Super League or Premier League.”
“We’re going to start small because we have to start. This league won’t last six months. For example, the NBA season lasts four months and then they have the playoffs.”
“Because it’s more than 30 teams. We’re going to start with maybe eight teams, but the idea is to grow to about 30 teams very quickly and then take this kind of championship to Europe, take it to America,” Sheth said.
The long-term vision extends far beyond India. Yogasana Bharat hopes to create several versions of the league across continents before eventually creating a global club competition.
“We’re not going to stop there. We’re going to have different versions of this on different continents and we’re going to create a pyramid. Then we’re going to have the Champions League, which is a global league. So there’s a lot of things to do,” Sheth said.
WHICH CITIES WILL BE THERE?
Host cities and franchise locations are yet to be finalised.
Currently, Yogasana Bharat is looking at potential markets through a commercial lens, focusing on viewership potential and sponsorship appeal during the league’s formative years.
Sheth said that while participation can come from anywhere in the country, franchise locations will be chosen based on markets where the sport can be consumed and developed.
“We look at it from a TRP point of view, where yoga is mostly taken. But I have to balance that with the maximum spend these cities have in terms of media spend or advertising or people’s spend.”
“At the end of the day, it has to be sponsor-friendly. It doesn’t matter if the Yogasana athlete is from Rishikesh or from Kodaikanal. It doesn’t matter. We will go to the market where it can be consumed, where it can be grown,” said Sheth.
WILL FOREIGN ATHLETES BE PRESENT?
Like the IPL, the Yogasana Super League is expected to have a significant international flavour.
Sheth confirmed that foreign athletes will form a significant part of the player pool, which will help create a more competitive and globally appealing product.
“Thirty percent of the foreign athletes will be a part of it. They will have to learn a lot more. We have to catch up a lot from them here because they have always done asanas in the traditional way. Now they have to learn all this,” said Sheth.
According to sources, Yogasana Bharat is targeting a launch window around September this year.
Whether the league becomes the game-changing platform the sport is hoping for remains to be seen. It is clear, however, that Yogasana’s ambitions are no longer limited to championship medals. From an Olympic plan to a franchise ecosystem modeled after some of the world’s biggest sporting competitions, the sport is attempting its boldest leap yet.
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Published on:
08 June 2026 18:00 IST