Jaipur scion Sawai Padmanabh Singh is rewriting polo’s modern legacy!

Few figures embody the intersection of heritage, sport and style as effortlessly as Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur. A professional polo player, global ambassador for Indian royalty and a modern custodian of one of the world’s most-storied polo legacies, the young scion is leading a quiet yet determined renaissance of the sport — starting where it once reigned supreme.

This season, that revival has taken tangible form with the return of the Mysore Cup, a historic tournament being played once again in Jaipur after nearly eight decades.

Sawai Padmanabh Singh talks about his relationship with polo

“Jaipur has historically been one of the most important centres for polo in the world,” Padmanabh explains. “For a period in the ’80s and ’90s, that legacy began to fade. But over the past five to seven years, there has been a genuine resurgence,” he adds.

What was once a compact six-to-eight-week season has now expanded into nearly six months of competitive polo, with new clubs, players and fixtures revitalising the calendar. The decision to revive the Mysore Cup — along with the Kashmir Cup and the Gwalior Cup — emerged naturally. “We had more weeks available to play polo than tournaments to fill them,” he says, adding, “so, we decided to bring back tournaments that existed almost a hundred years ago.”

These cups are more than ceremonial trophies. Each carries deep royal provenance. “They were silver trophies presented to the maharaja of Jaipur — Sawai Man Singh — by fellow rulers before Independence,” the maharaja notes. “The maharajas of Mysore, Kashmir and Gwalior were great patrons of the sport. Reviving these tournaments is our way of paying homage to their contribution,” he explains.

For today’s polo community, competing for these trophies once again is deeply symbolic. “They carry weight, history and emotion,” Padmanabh says. “To play for them is to connect with a lineage that shaped polo in India,” he avers. Despite its grandeur, polo remains a niche sport in the country. Padmanabh believes the barrier is not appeal, but accessibility. “Polo is immensely entertaining — for players and spectators alike. The real challenge has been visibility,” he tells us. Streaming, he feels, could be transformative. “Once the sport finds the right platform — television or OTT — it will reach a much wider audience,” he shares.

There are also discussions around evolving the format itself. “The association is exploring ways to make polo more spectator-friendly — shorter games, a more compact field, potentially a league structure. The aim is to retain the essence of the sport while making it easier to consume,” the sportsman tells us. Internationally, India’s polo dialogue is growing stronger.

While Manipur — where the British first encountered the sport — continues to host annual international tournaments, Jaipur and Delhi now anchor marquee fixtures. Argentina, the world’s leading polo nation, recently competed against India in Delhi, resulting in a significant Indian victory. “We also have British and other international teams visiting regularly,” Padmanabh informs us and adds, “and we hope these fixtures become a permanent part of the calendar.”

Behind polo’s elegance lies extraordinary physical discipline. “It’s one of the most demanding sports in the world,” the young royal tells us. Players ride horses at speeds approaching approximately 50 kms an hour and follow a meticulously planned fitness and nutrition programme. “There’s a lot of science involved — for the player and the horse,” he adds.

Fashion, of course, remains inseparable from polo’s allure. “The elegance begins with the horse,” the stylish royal reflects. “Few animals move with such grace,” he tells us. Layered atop that natural beauty is the leather-heavy armour of the sport — boots, guards, helmets and saddlery — creating an aesthetic that is both functional and timeless. As other sports embrace minimalism, polo’s evolution remains guided by safety. Modern additions — protective eyewear, elbow guards, tendon boots for horses — are essential.

For those wishing to experience polo in its most intimate and authentic form, Padmanabh’s invitation is unequivocal: Jaipur. With finals held on Sundays through February and into March, the season offers pristine weather, vibrant city life and world-class polo. “There are few places better to be on a winter afternoon than a polo ground in Jaipur,” he concludes. In stewarding polo’s past while shaping its future, maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur is not merely preserving tradition — he is ensuring it gallops confidently into the modern world.

Email: romal@newindianexpress.com

X: @elromal

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