The Seraikela royal palace. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Jan. 23: Cycle polo looks set to once again pedal its way to Seraikela.

A regular sporting activity in Seraikela earlier, cycle polo waned in this erstwhile princely town, some 45km from here, by 1972-73.

But the Seraikela royal family is serious about reviving the game. The ball has been set rolling with descendants of Maharaja Tikait Nurpendra Narayan Singh Deo, the former king of Seraikela, ordering for equipment.

“We are also talking to former players and some veterans who reside in Seraikela. We have already ordered two dozen polo sticks from Calcutta,” Pratap Aditya Singh Deo, the Seraikela scion, told The Telegraph.

Cycle polo was started in Seraikela from 1955 onwards, he said. “Actually it replaced horse polo. Since horses proved difficult to come by, my ancestors, like other royalties across the country, decided to switch over to cycle polo. My ancestors used the football ground in Seraikela to play matches. The locals also formed teams,” he said.

According to 40-year-old Aditya Pratap Singh Deo, who is the great grandson of the last maharaja of Seraikela, if things fall into place, they may well launch the game this summer.

“We’ll be using half area of the football ground. Besides polo sticks and balls, we’ll shortly get other equipment. Ordinary cycle without mud guards would not be a very big problem. But we have to turn the soccer ground into a play-worthy venue,” Singh Deo explained.

He said cycle polo was a popular sport at Raj Kumar College in Raipur. “We have several acquaintances there who can come up with expert advice or any other logistics. We are very positive about the revival plans,” said Singh Deo, a former student of Raipur College.

Singh Deo added that efforts would be made to popularise the game by holding tournaments at regular intervals.

“But for doing this we have to bring in trainers. Lot of hard work is needed. I have already spoken to some former and current players. They are willing to help us out with our revival plans,” he added.

Cycle polo in India traces its roots in early 1900s. Royal families across the country took to the game to keep themselves fit during the off-season. After World War II, when the horses were reduced from army activities, cycle polo became popular with the Indian and British regiments.

The game gradually became a commoner’s game. The Cycle Polo Federation of India was subsequently founded as a parent body of 32 Indian states and defence associations.

The states got district and club memberships. About 10,000 people play the game in India.

The size of a ground for cycle polo is 150x100m while the goal posts are 4m apart, 2.5m in height and 1.5m in width.

Ordinary cycle of any make and size is used. No extra attachments such as mud guards, bells, stands, carrier or gears are allowed. The game was originally played with a bamboo horse polo ball. Later, in India, tennis ball was introduced for safety reasons.

Sticks made from bamboo cane with wooden head in sizes 36, 34 and 32 inches are used for the game.

Four halves (or chukkers) of seven-and-a half-minutes each comprise the full duration of cycle polo. Team consists of four players in both the men’s and women’s categories. Handicaps are allotted to players in senior category according to their standards. A separate handicap tournament is played once a year.