Chennai
Polo enthusiasts in Chennai have to hold their horses. The much awaited Chennai season scheduled by the Indian Polo Association in January 2026, which would have brought back the royal sport to the city after 28 long years, is now cancelled due to equine infection in some horses. It is disappointing news as the city was in the throes of a polo revival.
Back in the 60s and 70s, polo was fairly common in Chennai, but it gradually faded. With polo engagements being minimal, the grounds were put to other use and the sport vanished. As Irshaad Mecca, a polo enthusiast and a passionate equestrian who has played an important hand in rebuilding the sport in Chennai, says, “The absence of a ground effectively removed Chennai from the polo map.” Without infrastructure, a sport cannot thrive, regardless of local interest.
The revival
A chance encounter between industrialist A.C Muthiah, a patron of the sport, and Mecca set things going. A phone call from the industrialist led to an invitation to his farm and a gift of 20 horses to Mecca. Equipped with these 20 horses, Mecca hired a national player Bhawani Kalvi as the team coach and started training the horses and equestrian enthusiasts.
Things picked up at a trot, with the Army giving approval for a ground to be set up near the military hospital in the city. Mecca credits senior polo player NV Ravi with playing a key role in securing the approval. The city’s first official polo match after nearly three decades would have been hosted here.
Why it is important for Chennai to be integrated into the IPA calendar is because India’s polo ecosystem remains concentrated and repetitive. The same players, teams, and patrons circulate across Jaipur, Delhi, and Jodhpur. This restricted circuit limits audience growth, sponsorship diversity, and player intake. Expanding into Chennai and other southern centres will infuse life into the game, but it requires a broader pipeline of riders, horses, and venues.
Junaid Nahri, a senior corporate executive, and passionate polo player explains that the cities where polo is popular depend on Army-controlled grounds. Civilian grounds are rare due to land and maintenance costs. Youth participation is also limited by the scarcity of riding schools with dedicated polo divisions. A positive development for the expansion of the sport is India’s thoroughbred pipeline. Race clubs in Mumbai, Chennai,Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru sell retired racehorses suitable for retraining. Players often acquire three such horses, invest 4–8 months in training, and convert them into competent polo horses.
Beneath the thundering hooves, and the thrill of the chase, there is a lot afoot to keep the game going.
The economics of polo
In a Polo team, a player typically requires about 4-6 horses since intense periods within a match demands peak equine fitness. The way that it works in Chennai is, most horses are usually purchased within 4-6 years of age, predominantly from race clubs which would make them off-the-track-thoroughbreds (former racehorses). Prices vary by city: ₹35,000–₹40,000 in Mumbai, ₹70,000 in Bengaluru, and over ₹1 lakh in Delhi. Higher-quality horses, including imports from Argentina, command significantly higher prices.
On top of this, maintaining a horse in a metropolitan city costs about ₹25,000–₹30,000, covering stable hands , feed, supplements, farrier charges, veterinary care, and stabling. A four-horse setup runs close to ₹1 lakh per month. Polo horses require specialised hot-shoeing every 20–25 days. Saddles, girths, boots, and other tack further add recurring costs. Mallets, typically imported, roughly cost ₹15,000 each, while polo balls are around ₹400 apiece, with multiple balls used per match.
When matches do occur, it is rarely local. Horses, players, and staff often travel between cities for tournaments, incurring expenses for floats, stabling, tents, and personnel. For an eight-player, multi-horse team configuration, and transport alone can cost several lakhs per event.
“We don’t even have a full-sized field yet,” says Salim Mahmood, deputy director at Hindustan University. Every game demands not just on a playing field, but horse transport, stabling, and staff. Horses are often ferried across India, costing ₹30,000–₹40,000 locally or lakhs when teams travel interstate. Each player needs six horses, meaning dozens must be moved, housed, and cared for. “Moving the horses is the biggest expense,” says Mahmood.
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Published on December 27, 2025
