Jaipur: The much-awaited Jaipur Polo Season 2026 got underway at the Rajasthan Polo Club (RPC) Ground on Tuesday. The annual season will be on till March 29 and will witness numerous enthralling matches.The highlight of the season will be a 14-goal Jaipur Open tournament for the Brig HH Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, MVC Cup. This tournament will be held from February 16 to 21. It is sponsored by Carysil. In this season, another major tourney will be the 14-goal Raffles Sirmour Cup, which will be held from February 9 to 15. It is sponsored by Raffles Hotel, Jaipur. This was informed by Padmanabh Singh, during a press conference at the RPC here on Tuesday.“The Jaipur Polo Season 2026 promises to be grander than ever before, with a rich line-up of high-goal tournaments, increased international participation, and a continued commitment to preserving Jaipur’s proud polo legacy. At Rajasthan Polo Club, we strive to uphold the sport’s tradition while also encouraging young and women players to take the game forward. This season reflects that vision in both scale and spirit,” said Padmanabh Singh.Federation of International Polo (FIP) Ambassador of India, Narendra Singh; honorary secretary of Rajasthan Polo Club (RPC), Digvijay Singh and joint secretary, RPC, Vikramaditya Barkana were also present on the occasion.Padmanabh Singh further informed that like the previous years, the Ladies Polo Match is also being organised in the Jaipur Polo Season. The idea is to encourage women to increasingly take up the game of horse polo. Looking at the success of the match and huge enthusiasm, the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation (PDKF) Ladies Polo Cup 2026 will be organised on February 22. This is being sponsored by US Polo Assn. and PDKF.The first tournament of the season was the Rajmata Gayatri Devi Memorial Cup (6-goal). The final of the season-opener will be held on Jan 25. It is being sponsored by the Rambagh Palace Jaipur.The inaugural Kognivera Polo Cup (8-goal) will be held from January 26 to February 1, sponsored by Kognivera IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The winner of this tournament will get the world’s tallest 7-foot trophy.Other important tournaments this season include The Leela Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Polo Cup (8-goal) from February 2 to 8, sponsored by The Leela Palace Jaipur; the Rajasthan Tourism Polo Cup (6-goal) from February 23 to March 1, sponsored by the Rajasthan Tourism Department; SMS Gold Vase (4-goal) from March 2 to 8, sponsored by Royal Gems & Arts Jaipur; Shree Cement Cup from March 9 to 15, sponsored by Shree Cement; and two RPC Cups (Out of Hat format) from March 16 to 22 and from March 23 to 29.This polo season will see the participation of some of the top polo players of the game including Manuel F Llorente (+6), Santiago Marambio (+6), Alejo Aramburu (+6); Daniel Otamendi (+4), Lance Watson (+4), Simran Shergill (+4), Padmanabh Singh (+4), Shamsheer Ali (+4); Siddhant Sharma (+3); Dhruv Pal Godara (+2), Bhawani Kalvi (+2), Kuldeep Singh Rathore (+2); Rao Himmat Singh Bedla (+1) and Salim Azmi (+1), along with some Army officers.To promote the sport of polo among young players and to encourage upcoming talent, the Jaipur Junior Cup Under 21 in Out of Hat format will be played from March 2 to 8. As part of its commitment to developing young talent, the Rajasthan Polo Club has instituted a special annual scholarship programme to support promising young players with international training exposure. Under this initiative, the Club supported young player Aryaman Singh this year to travel and train in Argentina, one of the world’s leading polo destinations.The exhibition matches this season include the Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Memorial Cup on January 24, sponsored by Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Charity Trust; Exhibition Polo Match on January 26; KGK Polo Cup on February 7, sponsored by KGK; Eton College vs Mayo College match on February 14, powered by Gabriel India; HH Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur International Shield on February 28, sponsored by DiaColor India Pvt. Ltd; and Exhibition Polo Match on March 9.It is to be noted that the Rajasthan Polo Club is undertaking a series of long-term infrastructure and development initiatives aimed at strengthening Jaipur’s position as a year-round centre for polo and equestrian sport.Plans are underway to install floodlights at the Polo Ground, enabling night polo and allowing the sport to be played throughout the year in Jaipur. In addition, the Club is working towards creating an indoor, all-weather covered arena to support its riding school and junior training programmes, ensuring uninterrupted training regardless of weather conditions.The Club is also planning an equine hospital within the Polo Ground premises, equipped with a surgical theatre and a basic diagnostic laboratory, to enhance veterinary care, horse welfare, and emergency response for polo and equestrian activities. As part of various initiatives taken by the club, refreshments will also be provided to the spectators attending the match.This season, the Medical Partner is Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital and Patron’s Polo Club Jaipur, Polo Factory, Code Silver, Sixty Cavalry First, Red FM, Shalby Multi-speciality Hospitals, Polywood, Haus of Bars and Mizuberg are the associate sponsors.
