indian darts

Interview with Rohit Rabadia on his darts journey, playing for India and the PDC Asian Tour

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Hello readers, welcome to another interview on asiandarts.sport.blog, this time with Rohit Rabadia. Playing for India but being born in England, Rabadia tries to make a positive impact in the world of darts, inspire future players and stimulate darts in India.

My name is Rohit “Rugrat” Rabadia, and I am 44 years old. I was born and raised in NW London, England. Currently, I have businesses in the UK and Dubai. I specialise in home drafting systems in the UK and in Dubai I am the cofounder of www.wassupdubai.ae. I enjoy sports and travelling, and I’m always excited to learn new things and meet new people.

His nickname ”Rugrat” was given to him a long time ago by his friends: “My nickname “The Rugrat” actually started as a joke among my friends when I first started playing darts, I had shaved my hair making me bald which reminded them of a character called Tommy in the Rugrats cartoon. One of my friends started calling me “Rugrat” as a playful nod to my look and energy, and the name just stuck. Now, it’s a fun reminder of those early days and how far I’ve come in the sport.”

Rabadia started playing darts at the age of 15 when he asked for his first dartboard on his birthday. ”I never missed watching darts on TV as I was a HUGE fan of the Late Eric Bristow. When I lived in London I played in 2 local leagues twice a week and started playing on the BDO circuit on weekends in the UK and Europe. I relocated to the North in 2012 and began my journey on the PDC circuit. I try to get a couple of hours practise in everyday in my darts den, my son now 14 is my practice partner.”

Even though Rabadia was born in England, he decided to play for India for a few reasons. Not only because his family’s roots is in India, but also because of the culture and having a wonderful connection to the country. He also wants to grab this opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the sport in India, where darts is still gaining popularity. Rabadia: ”Representing India allows me to honor my heritage and make a meaningful impact. The PDC changed the ruling two years ago which opened the doors and allowed me to take this route.”

This year, Rabadia has taken things a step further and plays all of the PDC Asian Tours. So far, his effort resulted in qualifying for the PDC World Cup Asian Qualifier, where he played with Nitin Kumar. They played in the same group as winners Singapore and Malaysia, but nevertheless it has been a great experience so far for Rabadia: ”Playing on the PDC Asian Tour this year has been an incredible experience. The competition is fierce, and it’s been exciting to test my skills against some of the best players in the region. Qualifying for the World Cup with Nitin Kumar was definitely a highlight and a testament to the hard work we’ve both put in.

However, keeping up with all the travelling can be challenging and it requires a lot of careful planning and support from my family to balance my professional commitments with my personal life. I’m grateful for their understanding and encouragement, which makes it all possible. Despite the challenges, the opportunity to represent and compete at such a high level makes all the effort worthwhile as well as the people I have met along the way who now feel like a family as they have been so helpful and welcoming.”

Qualifying for the PDC World Cup Qualifiers with Nitin Kumar has been the absolute highlight for Rabadia so far in his darts career. ”It was an incredible achievement, especially considering the level of competition on the PDC Asian Tour. Standing on that stage, representing India, and competing at such a prestigious event was a dream come true. I will cherish that moment as it motivates me to drive forward and achieve more.”

Looking forward to what lies ahead, Rabadia describes his plans and goals as following:

”For the next year, my primary goals are to continue improving my game and to consistently perform well on the PDC Asian Tour. Specifically, I aim to qualify for more major tournaments, including another shot at the World Cup and play in the Asian Championships. I also want to focus on refining my skills and increasing my practice schedule to enhance my consistency under pressure.

Long-term, I aspire to establish myself as one of the top players in the region and eventually compete at the highest levels, such as the PDC World Championship. Additionally, I hope to inspire more people in India to take up darts and contribute to the growth of the sport in the country. My sponsors Cuesoul Darts have made my new custom darts, which has aided my game and I believe I have my perfect darts which will help me achieve my goals. My custom equipment is available on www.cuesoul.com ”

Like most players, Rabadia also has two players who inspired him on his journey in the world of darts: Stephen Bunting and Michael van Gerwen. ”I am inspired firstly by Stephen Buntings remarkable journey and his exemplary character both on and off the stage and Michael van Gerwen’s exceptional dedication and skill in the sport.

Stephens perseverance and dedication is also motivating. He has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and a commitment to improving his game. His transition from the BDO to the PDC was challenging, yet he managed to excel, showing that adaptability and resilience are key to overcoming obstacles.

Michael started playing darts at a young age and worked tirelessly to improve, which is inspiring as it shows with dedication and hard work, it’s possible to achieve excellence.

Stephen and Michaels humility and sportsmanship in respect of their opponents, how they handle both victories and defeats with grace, maintain a positive attitude and show respect to their competitors is admirable.

I am inspired to balance my darts career with my personal life like Stephen has achieved through his dedication to his family and his efforts to inspire and support others in the darts community highlighting his generous spirit and leadership qualities and I am inspired to develop a mindset like Michael’s mental toughness during matches in order to stay calm under pressure.

As Rabadia hopes to inspire more people to take up darts, he has a final message to the readers:

Dream, Believe & Achieve! Never give up and always stay committed. I extend my gratitude for your interest and support. Whether you’re a fellow darts enthusiast, a fan of the sport, or simply curious about my journey, your encouragement means a lot to me and I thank you.

Special thanks to my sponsors:

Cuesoul darts

Spice & Spirits sports bar

NSCmedia

For their continued support and belief in me. 

Rohit Rabadia has his own website as well, which will launch soon. The website will feature updates on his tournaments, a blog about his journey in darts, and a section where you can connect with Rohit. Stay tuned for the official launch date and be sure to check it out!
http://www.rohitrabadia.com/

Note to readers: If you’re interested in darts in India, I’d highly recommend to read my article about Mahi Bosmia and Indian darts, as well as watch the interview I did together with Dartfreakz.

Pictures by: PDC Asia, Rohit Rabadia

Interview with Mahi Bosmia, India’s top ladies player, at the Dutch Open Darts

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Welcome to all readers from AsianDarts. Today, we have a special interview with a very inspirational player: Mahi Bosmia from India. The interview has been recorded by Wim Blokpoel from Dartfreakz and you can watch it below in the article. This article will be an addition to the interview with more facts about Mahi but also some points about darts in India, one of the things we talked about with Mahi and Piyush Bosmia off camera. We hope you enjoy reading about Mahi and we also hope to explain more about the situation of darts in India.

Mahi, 17 years old from Calcutta, India, started out darts when she was young. Her father, Piyush Bosmia, started out playing darts together with his wife in 2015 and Mahi accompanied them to tournaments which sparked an interest for darts with herself as well. Her father noticed this and started teaching Mahi darts as well as entering her into various youth tournaments. It turned out she is talented and after winning her first title, Mahi really found the joy of darts, eventually leading her to the Dutch Open in Assen. Mahi is still studying besides all this as well, studying at The Bhawanipur College in Calcutta. They also sponsor her for her international trips. Mahi states she is very much thankful to them as without such support it is impossible to participate in such events.

Financial support is really important in Indian darts. One of the things we spoke about off camera at the Dutch Open was about the AIDA. AIDA (All Indian Darts Association) is one of the darts organisations in India and the one who is affiliated to the WDF (World Darts Federation). If a player qualifies for a tournament (Mahi did for the WDF World Cup in Denmark), they have to pay AIDA a fee firstly, otherwise they’ll be thrown out of the selection.

Piyush adds that Mahi was asked to pay charges higher than what WDF were offering to all international players and upon asking the Indian authorities about detailed expenses to understand why it is higher than it should be, no reply on same was received from authorities but instead later we came to know that someone else was selected in her place without properly informing to us for same reason around 4 players including manager for the tour backed out understanding there in less clarity on why the extra funds were asked.

This is one of the reasons why the best players from India don’t get a lot of exposure and instead, players who hit 30-40 averages but have more money can go. Combine this with really expensive flights because VISAS don’t come in early enough, expensive hotel costs and the players having to pay pretty much everything out of their own pockets. The AIDA always preferred players not to play at other tournaments as well, sometimes even resulting in forbidding players to play other tournaments and banning them from the organisation. Piyush notes that a positive change happened over the last year in this matter: ‘Things from last one year has changed in AIDA for now as since last year they are allowing other players to play AIDA and also they are allowing their regular players to play other organisers events. All thanks to the efforts given by IDC to improve players standard and giving more opportunities to players.‘ This resulted in Mahi being able to play more tournaments in India and winning every tournament she entered for the last two years in both ladies and youth category.

Speaking to Nitin Kumar recently, we discovered that the same process is happening to players who want to play PDC Qualifiers and now, the top players have started their own organisation. The IDC, the Indian Darts Council, is now the place where the best players of India play at. Kumar: ‘The IDC hold close to 30to40 tournaments a year. This includes Nationals, State Championships, Inter-Club events and a Premier League kind of tournament. But sadly, the IDC is not affiliated with either the WDF or the PDC, making it hard for top players to participate in big tournaments.’ 

India is a growing darts country with many good players, but the IDC and their players do not have as many opportunities as they would like internationally. We hope our readers will start following the IDC tournaments closely on Facebook or YouTube where matches get posted every now and then.

Mahi is only 17 years old but winning big time in India at the tournaments she enters. Last year, she decided to take steps to play more tournaments internationally and there took second place at the MOJO (Malaysian Open / Johor Open) in Malaysia. In the interview below she talks more about her experiences at that tournament. Mahi plans to play the PDC Women’s Series in the future as well, taking on the best ladies in the world. She had a glimpse of that during the 2024 Dutch Open Darts, where she played and beat the likes of Jo Rolls and Sharona Veld, making the Last 16 alongside names like Beau Greaves, Aileen de Graaf, Noa-Lynn van Leuven and Kirsty Hutchinson. After an outstanding performance in the ladies singles, more and more people started talking about her and knowing who she is. Mahi eventually lost out 4-1 to Rhian O’Sullivan. We also spoke to Mahi after that, saying that more and more people know who she is now and making the Last 16 for the first time at such a big tournament and also at the age of 17 is an amazing accomplishment. Mahi: ‘Thank you so much, this was my goal; to let people know who I am, give a good performance and especially playing for India. I want to show people that there are good players in India, so I’m proud to play for my country.’

Even though Mahi is very talented, it’s not always easy for her to come to international tournaments because of the above. Still, she’s a positive young lady who really wants to show what she is capable of, hoping to play the PDC Women’s Series and find her way to the biggest tournaments in the world.

It was so nice to meet someone who is so proud of her country and we hope Mahi will get all the chances she deserves in the future. And of course, we’ll keep on following Mahi through her darts journey.