India, Aug. 29 -- As India celebrates National Sports Day on August 29, a chat with experts in the business points to a quiet, albeit slow change taking place in the country's sports eco-system. Players', audience's and brand interest in non-cricket sports is on the rise. Ujwal Deole, co-founder of Khelomore, an online platform for booking sports venues, coaching and events, says the app does almost 60,000 bookings a month for courts and turfs for various sports, and brands are increasingly finding smaller tournaments and non-cricket leagues appealing.

"In the past one year, especially with the advent of pickleball and padel, a slew of sportswear and nutrition brands are eyeing community leagues for effective activations," says Deole. Kh...