Sarikaa Kale and Kishan katariya | |
|---|---|
| Born | Umbre Kota village, Osmanabad district, Maharashtra, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Kho-Kho player |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Captain of India women's national kho kho team |
| Awards | Shiv Chhatrapati Award (2016) Arjuna Award (2020) |
Sarika Kale is an Indian kho kho player from Maharashtra. She became the captain of the Maharashtra women's state kho kho team in 2010, leading the team to three national championships. Selected for the India women's national kho kho team in 2015, she was named captain of the team before the 2016 South Asian Games. She led the team to victory in the South Asian Games and in the Third Asian Kho-Kho Championship, where she received the match winner award in the final against Bangladesh.
Coming from a poor family in the Osmanabad district, Kale struggled financially for years due to unemployment. Her achievements in kho kho have been recognised by the Government of Maharashtra and the Government of India. She was the recipient of her state's Shiv Chhatrapati Award in 2016 and the Arjuna Award in 2020.[1]