Mumbai: India’s Elite Pro Basketball League has announced its first round of key player signings for the 12 participating franchises. Organised by Elite Sports India (ESI), the player announcements were made on social media.
The key signings include Indian national team players like Jagdeep Bains (Mumbai Stars), Pratham Singh (Pune Pythons) Prakash Mishra (Jaipur Giants). Other players include Basil Philip (Kochi Packers), Vinay Kaushik (Chandigarh Conquerors), actor Arvind Krishna (Hyderabad Hoops), Ram Gopal (Lucknow Swarm), Ravikumar (Chennai Turbos), Rachit Singh (Punjab Gladiators), Karan Pal Singh (Ahmedabad Aces), Arshdeep Singh (Delhi Dominators) and Visu Palani (Bengaluru Stallions).
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Mumbai Stars’ player Jagdeep Bains said, “I am super excited to be a part of India’s first and only pro basketball league. This will give a platform to grow the sport in India which is much required.”
Pune Pythons’ player Pratam Singh said, “Elite Pro Basketball League is the need of the hour. They are not only promoting the sport but also athlete-friendly and are giving the best remuneration for players in India. This will boost the sport in India and encourage younger players to take up the sport.”
“When we approached these players, they were immediately sold on the idea of the league and thought this would be a great platform to promote the sport in India,” said Elite Pro Basketball CEO Sunny Bhandarkar.
“The shelf life of professional athletes, especially in our country, remains very limited. We are keen to provide new opportunities to proven Indian team stars, and EPBL will be a financially rewarding second innings for them. EPBL is committed to elongating players’ careers through enhanced incentives and high visibility across platforms.”
EPBL had conducted a basketball try out. “Basketball is a sport on the rise in India. EPBL aims to be a crucial addition in India’s basketball calendar to ensure the country’s best players maintain their competitive fitness and can contribute in a superior manner to their local club, state and national teams,” remarked Bhandarkar.
