Polo is said to be the sport of kings, and His Highness Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur is keeping the tradition alive. The 25 year old professional polo playing philanthropist, lovingly known as Pacho, is following in his family’s footsteps, as he continues making strides to change the sport of kings into a sport for all.
Pacho
Born in New Delhi to parents Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and Maharaj Narendra Singh, Pacho became the 303rd descendant of the royal family of Jaipur; the largest city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan. And, at the age of 12, Padmanabh Singh was declared the Maharaja, or prince, of Jaipur by the Padmanabh Singh family. In addition to the inheritance of a centuries old family lineage whose influence can be seen in the architecture and culture all across the “Pink City”, Pacho also carries his forefathers passion for the sport of polo.
The Padmanabh Singh Polo Legacy
In 2015, Pacho officially began playing polo in the UK, while he was attending school at Millfield in Somerset, England. There, he joined the Guards Polo Club, one of the most renowned clubs in the UK. Not long after, in 2017, Pacho led the Indian national team at Hurlingham Park for the first time in over 70 years. However, long before starting his own career as a professional polo player, Pacho’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather all competed in, and made valuable contributions to, the sport.
Most notably, Pacho’s great-grandfather Sawai Man Singh II, won the first Polo World Cup for India in 1957. Later, his grandfather would become one of the founding members of the Federation of International Polo (FIP) and would earn the honor of giving Pacho’s father the FIP Jaipur World Cup Trophy. But, despite these incredibly large shoes to fill in regards to a true polo legacy, Pacho has fulfilled the role.
Pacho and Polo
After his first time leading the Indian national team at Hurlingham Park, Pacho went on to compete in many professional tournaments across the world in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile and many more. His many experiences in the world of polo then informed his leadership during his second performance with the Indian National team in 2022 at the Polo World Cup in Wellington, Florida. This crowning achievement made Pacho the youngest player to represent India on a World Cup polo team. Additionally, Pacho’s culmination of victories and historic performances earned him both the Young Polo Player of 2021 award and the Most Valuable Polo Player award of 2022 from the La Polo Indian Polo Awards. And although these many accolades already display Pacho’s passion for his family’s polo legacy, he also continues to put great efforts towards promoting the sport in India and helping bring the game to a larger audience in India
Pacho; The Polo Ambassador
Using his royal patronage at the Rajasthan Polo Club, and his own popularity among the public, Pacho has greatly increased polo’s following in India. In addition, Pacho has planned and implemented multiple high-goal tournaments that attract visitors from around the world, a Ladies’ Polo league, a Junior Polo team, and a variety of training programs in Jaipur to increase inclusivity and accessibility in the sport of polo. The success of these initiatives inspired Pacho to revive the Jaipur polo team and secured his position as an official Global Brand Ambassador for the U.S. Polo Assn, the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association. in 2024. Using the brand’s platform as a multi-billion dollar, global, sports inspired brand, Pacho promotes the sport of polo on a global scale by highlighting talented players, and sharing the history of the sport within his family and around the world.
Written in collaboration with Lily Brennan