Carrom is an ancient game believed to have originated in India. In ancient times, the game was played by the Indian Maharajas. Today, the game is played across the globe on the physical wooden board and online platforms. Earlier, people usually played carrom for leisure and entertainment, but its popularity led to the game entering world championships and competitions. Over the years, carrom produced some of the best carrom board players from around the world.
A brief about Carrom
The game played for leisure witnessed a transformation in 1988 with the International Carrom Federation’s formation governed by Swiss Law. The game’s popularity increased massively after the ICF was formed, and the world started to witness numerous carrom champions, mainly from countries such as India and Sri Lanka.
Today, there are many tournaments and championships held around the world under the AICF’s guidance. The ICF’s prime responsibility is to organize these tournaments and championships at the National and Inter-State levels. Carrom is also widely enjoyed through online gaming platforms, which also hold tournaments and competitions, and the winners are rewarded with cash prizes.
Six Best Carrom Board Players
K. Srinivas
Born in 1993, K. Srinivas is counted as one of the best carrom board players of all time. The carrom champion is from Hyderabad in India. He was the Indian national carrom champion and also won the 4th Carrom World Cup at the Maldives. Srinivas has won numerous titles in men’s single and double tournaments held around the globe to date. He also received an honor for winning the men’s singles National Championship and was felicitated by P. Nirmala, the women’s national carrom champion.
A. Maria Irudayam
A. Maria Irudayam is another renowned carrom champion from Chennai, India. Born in 1956, the carrom player has won the Indian national championship nine times and the World carrom championship twice. For the pride he brought to India, he was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 1996 by the Government of India. As a matter of fact, Irudayam has won numerous international carrom board competitions. He has also been a member of the Indian team and won team events in several tournaments such as the ICF cup in 1989 and 1997, SAARC Carrom Championship between 1997 and 1999, US Open International Carrom Tournament 1996, and more.
S. Ilavazhagi
Also known as S. Ilavazhaki, she is another player to have originated from Tamil Nadu, India, after A. Maria Irudayam. S. Ilavazhagi was born in 1984 and is a two-time world cup champion. She is one of the finest Indian carrom players to have represented the country at an international level. She won the world championship in 2008 and was a runner-up in 2012 in the women’s singles final round.
Also Read: Benefits of playing online carrom
Chamil Cooray
Chamil Darshana Cooray Bulathsinghalage is a well-known carrom player from Sri Lanka. He has been representing his country since 2004 and was the captain of the men’s carrom team of Srilanka. In 2012, Chamil ranked sixth in the men’s singles Carrom World Championship. He won the World Carrom Championship held in Birmingham in 2016 and became the men’s carrom team captain. He’s also the first Sri Lankan carrom player to have won the Swiss World League title and set a record for being the only player to have won the title.
Rashmi Kumari
An International Carrom champion from Bihar, India, Rashmi Kumari debuted as a carrom player in 1992. She won the women’s titles in the National Carrom Championship of 17th Inter Institutions in Mumbai. In 1997, she won the sub-junior championship, followed by the junior championship in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, and the senior national championship in 2014. She also won the 4th international carrom championship held in 2014 in the Maldives. Currently, she is working at the Union Bank of India, employed on a scholarship.
Nishantha Fernando
Nishantha Fernando is a famous Sri Lankan carrom player and a former number one player globally. He is acknowledged as the national carrom champion in Srilanka. He defeated C. Bharathi Dasan of India in 2012 to become the World Champion in men’s singles. Also, he is the first Sri Lankan player to have won the Carrom World Championship title and the second Sri Lankan carrom player to win an individual World Championship title.
Concluding…
These famous carrom players are an inspiration for many aspiring carrom champions. It is because of these and many other amazing carrom players that have sparked the interest of millions of people in this indoor sport. So much so, that many players are also enjoying the online carrom games and participating in online carrom tournaments and battles. Online gaming platforms such as the MPL app have provided the means for playing the most-loved childhood games online and winning real cash prizes. So, if you aspire to be a carrom champion one day, you now have an option to become an online carrom champion as well.
