Watch: Running, tagging and tackling as fast growing sport Kabaddi hits the West Midlands - hard

Kabaddi originated in India around 5,000 years ago and is now the fastest-growing sport in South Asia, second only to cricket and played in more than 50 other countries, while having gained popularity in the UK through being shown on BBC iPlayer.

The contact sport involves teams of 'raiders' and 'blockers' who must score points by entering opposition’s territory, tagging an opponent and making it back to their half without being tackled to the ground.

Representatives of two of the teams, reigning champions Birmingham Bulls and newcomers Sandwell Kings, were joined by the president of World Kabaddi Ashok Das and Birmingham City Council deputy leader Sharon Thompson to see some of the players in training for the big day.

The British Kabaddi League (BKL), now in its third season, is helping to maximise the legacy benefits from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games by create an economic and sporting legacy for the region.

Councillor Thompson said she was delighted to see the finals being held in Birmingham and was keen to talk about legacy.

She said: "It's wonderful to see this event taking place over the weekend as it's a sport more than 5,000 years old and it's great to see it here in Birmingham, which is a super diverse city with so many different cultures.

"This follows on from the Commonwealth Games as well as it's about extending the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and also looking at economic growth and sporting growth as well.

"We hope to see as many people here over the weekend as possible as this sport is hugely recognised across the city and the club here had around 70 people who wanted to sign up when there was first a call-out, so it just goes to show how popular it is."

Birmingham Bulls are the reigning champions, having beaten Glasgow Unicorns 48-18 to take the title in 2023 and are looking to continue their success in this year’s league tournament, while co-owner Amo Singh was also excited to be playing on home turf.

He said: "It's brilliant to be playing here as your home crowd is your home crowd and we'll have full support behind the Birmingham team, who are two times reigning champions and will have our friends and family there to support us.

"We're here to win and we have got a strong team, so even after the one defeat we've had, the team has come back stronger, trained harder and is ready for the weekend."

Sandwell Kings board member Hardeep Singh said he would love to see his team win the tournament, but was just as keen to see the sport showcased.

He said: "Kabaddi is a community sport and a lot of the players who play for us only started in March, so we want to win here, but we're also here to showcase the sport.

"It's the second biggest sport in India behind cricket and is played by millions of people and I think it's perfect for these shores as you don't need any equipment to play it."

For Ashok Das, his big hope for the weekend was to showcase Kabaddi as a community sport and, like Hardeep Singh, show that it was an affordable and accessible sport for all.

He said: "I think the biggest achievement will be the community coming to watch the sport and then send their kids to learn more about Kabaddi.

"My message is that Kabaddi, like any sport, is about physical fitness, but is also affordable as you don't need to spend anything to send your kids to try it, so they can try it and see if they like it.

"The weekend is going to be action packed and also a cultural celebration, with traditional dancing and dhol playing, so it's going to be very exciting."

Grand Final tickets are available, priced for adults at £5 and children at £2.50 each, either by calling 0121 464 4373 or collecting in person from Nechells Wellbeing Centre.