The jerseys and logos of the six teams that would be competing in the inaugural Indian National Basketball League (INBL) were unveiled in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Arvind Arumugam (Bengaluru Kings), M Arvind Kumar (Chennai Heat), Arvinder Singh Kahlon (Chandigarh Warriors), Digvijay Singh (Delhi Dribblers), Sejin Mathew (Kochi Tigers) and Sidhant Shinde (Mumbai Titans) posed with celebrity actor Siddharth Malhotra at the launch function.
“Our aim is not only having a high-quality league, but also laying a strong and sustainable process for development at the grassroots level. We have appointed Headstart Arena India (HAI) to execute the plans as per the vision of BFI Executive Council”, said the president of the Basketball Federation of India, K. Govindaraj.
“I am excited to play in the INBL. It is a glorious opportunity to represent my city but also play against the best in the country in this new format”, said Sejin.
“We have a very strong opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in 2024, in the 3 x 3 format. We should aim to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in the regular format. We aim to achieve that through INBL”, said the secretary-general of BFI, Chander Mukhi Sharma.
The first round is scheduled to be played in Kochi from October 16 to 20, and the second round will be in Jaipur from October 26 to 30. The third round in Pune will be from December 7 to 11. The play-offs will be hosted in Bengaluru from January 11 to 15.
“We are pleased to be working with BFI to launch this initiative. It is a great opportunity for the top talent to have a platform to showcase their ability against well-matched opposition”, said Rupinder Brar, Chairman of HAI.
