India's Polo Revival: How Jaipur Is Reclaiming Its Polo Capital Status
The Rajasthan state government and private investors are restoring Jaipur's polo heritage, with the Rambagh Palace ground at the centre of India's most ambitious polo revival in a generation.
Jaipur is reasserting its historical claim as the world's polo capital. A combination of Rajasthan state government investment, private sector patronage, and international tournament hosting has created a momentum in Jaipur's polo scene not seen since the era of the Maharajas, who made the city the sport's royal heartland in the first half of the twentieth century.
At the centre of the revival is the Rambagh Palace polo ground, the historic venue associated with Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II and the famous Tigers polo team. Restoration work on the ground — funded through a public-private partnership involving the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and the Taj Hotels group, which operates the Rambagh Palace — has produced a playing surface that meets international standards for the first time in decades, enabling Jaipur to host international tournament events with the quality that visiting teams expect.
The Indian Polo Association has been instrumental in coordinating the revival, working with FIP to attract sanctioned international events to Jaipur and developing the Indian Polo Arc Cup into a genuinely prestigious international invitation. The arc format — connecting Jaipur and Delhi in a single touring event — reflects India's growing ambition to be taken seriously as an international polo destination rather than a historical curiosity.
Beyond the professional circuit, civilian participation in Jaipur polo has grown significantly. The Rajasthan Polo Club, historically the preserve of the military and aristocratic elite, has opened its doors to a new generation of business-class patrons who are investing in polo as both sport and lifestyle. Several new polo schools have opened in the Jaipur region, and youth polo programmes — supported by the Rajasthan state government's sporting development fund — are beginning to create a domestic talent pipeline for the first time.
Tourism connected to polo is emerging as a significant economic opportunity. Rambagh Palace polo weekends combining match attendance with Raj-era hospitality have attracted visitors from the UK, USA, UAE, and Australia who combine polo watching with Rajasthan's extraordinary cultural landscape.