• 4 new teams Nagpur Knights, Goa Saints, Surat Diamonds and Eastern Tigers are added to the league, taking the total to 16 teams.• The venue for the same will be Noida Indoor Stadium• Elite Pro Basketball League is the only professional league in India which is providing contracts and salaries to athletes.
Ever since India’s first pro basketball league ‘Elite Pro Basketball League’ was announced, the league has been creating ripples be it player signings or try-outs or salaries. The league has now announced that the inaugural Preseason will kickstart from 11th to the 20th of March 2023 at the Noida Indoor Stadium. The icing on the cake is the expansion to 16 teams from 12 teams which will give more players a chance to turn pro. Nagpur Knights, Goa Saints, Surat Diamonds and Eastern Tigers are the new 4 teams that are added. The league will also include a minimum of 2 University players on each team giving them a chance to go professional.
The Preseason which will be held for 10 days will have all 16 teams, coaches and staff coming together for the first time. The Pre-Season will help players get to know each other and gel together as a team. The most attractive part of the Pre-Season is the additional salaries and perks the players will get. This becomes the first Basketball league in India who are paying heft salaries to all players something that was missing.
Talking about the same Sunny Bhandarkar, CEO of Elite Pro Basketball League said, “We have received a massive response and excitement from investors. We started with a goal of having four teams, then 12 and now finally expanded to 16 teams. It’s overwhelming to see so many people support Indian Basketball at a professional level at such a large scale. There has always been scope for basketball, just never utilised.”
Adding further he said, “The preseason will help players and coaches gel with each other and start working on a strategy. We will leave no stone unturned to make this a landmark league and hope that it inspires the growth of Basketball in the country.”
Prudhvi Reddy, one of the most decorated Indian Basketball players says, “A league like this is what Indian Basketball requires, attractive salaries, great coaches and staff, a platform where people can showcase their talents. Never in India has a basketball league been conducted in such a way with preseason and am sure this will help grow the sport in a big way in India.”
The key signings include Indian national team players, state players, local players and University players. Mumbai Stars, Pune Pythons, Jaipur Giants, Kochi Pachers, Chandigarh Conquerors, Hyderabad Hoops, Lucknow Swarm, Chennai Turbos, Punjab Gladiators, Ahmedabad Aces, Delhi Dominators, Bengaluru Stallions, Nagpur Knights, Goa Saints, Surat Diamonds and Eastern Tigers concludes the team name.