The State League
Mallika Ravikumar
Penguin Random House, 2026
Genre: Fiction
“Age fraud leads to an erosion of culture. It leads to a scenario where a lot of talented boys don’t get to play when they should actually be playing." Rahul Dravid
Sports is meant to unite people across borders inside a country and across the world but what ails Indian football? Why did FIFA ban India in 2022 and why did India never qualify in football even for the Asian Games in 2026? Why is gender discrimination practiced in football worldwide, especially in Indian football? Can you think back to when you last heard of a female footballer, let alone one from India? What does it take to manage a football team in India? What does it mean when children are forced to give up on their dreams because of age fraud? How does one combat age fraud in Indian football? What is a bone verification test and why is it used in football? These are some of the questions asked and answered in Ravikumar’s book, “The State League”.
Prithvi is a U15 footballer from Maharashtra. He breathes, eats and lives for football. He plays for Elite Sports F.C. He studies and lives in the club premises like his team mates. Through Prithvi’s story and his teammates, Ravikumar takes you into the highly politicized world of Indian football most Indians fail to see or learn about.
The narrative travels all over India including Manipur. Football is more popular in north east Indian states than cricket. It covers the violence in Manipur through newspaper reports and how it affects young footballers whose families are hit by it. The author follows a strict show, don’t tell rule of writing by showing how national politics and social media driven narratives affect innocent children who play for football clubs in cities like Mumbai and Delhi far away from their homes despite the odds stacked against them. It shows how social media trials which children are forced to face just because they are from a particular state or city. This story changes from being just a football story into a story about football clubs and the All India Football Federation and the match fixing that runs rampant in it while the clubs are trying to stop it by internal audits.
Through Prithvi’s friend and female footballer, KD a.k.a. Kadambini, the gender politics in sports especially that of female footballers in India is examines. KD not only faces challenges herself but her character brings humour, sense and practicality to the story. However, Prithvi refers to her as KD.
For those who are not following the reports about match fixing and age fraud, you might ask what is age fraud. It is basically not giving the correct age so one can compete in age-related competitions. While a bone verification test might help determine the age, what if the samples are changed? I am sure sports medicine experts will have the answer. Age fraud has been running rampant across sports disciplines especially in Indian football and wrestling. It is particularly high in junior tournaments where scrutiny is less and reward is high. This is true more so for the Indian Super League which is to football what the IPL is to cricket. Newspapers are filled with reports of age fraud in Indian football clubs if one bothers to read about it. How is betting done in junior tournaments and how is this linked with match fixing? The story morphs from being a football story for young adults to a political and crime thriller for all.
The writing is crisp and clear. The pace is very good. One never feels bored as the story will resonate not just with Gen Z and Gen A but also with the millions of Indians who stayed up to watch the FIFA world Cup finals between Argentina and Spain.
Indians do love winners when it comes to sports. That is why cricket is so popular. However, football is popular despite India not being a winner in any major tournament in recent memory. Sure, Ronaldo and David Beckham’s visits to India have only increased the football fever among Indians. However, this is the case despite India having millions of football fans now but no Indian football team that plays in any major sport events. This was not the case 70 years ago when Indian football team didn’t have shoes, so what has changed? This book is for all those who love football. Don’t we deserve a football team of our own?
If you wish to buy the book, go here 👉 Amazon
