BFI launches INBL Pro U-25 league, tournament to be played in India and Abu Dhabi
The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced the launch of International Basketball League (INBL) Pro under-25 basketball league, which will be staged in different cities, with six franchise teams comprising national and international players, from January 15.
“Our target is to be in the final of the Asian Games in four years and qualify for the Olympics in eight years. We will all work together to reach the goal. The league is a good start,” Aadhav Arjuna, president of BFI, said.
The pool of players, mostly in the under-25 age group, except for two mentors in each team, is expected to be shortlisted from the USA, Australia and New Zealand., apart from India, with the auction scheduled on January 9.
It was announced the teams would have 12 coaches. Six Indian coaches would assist them. Some of them would be watching the National basketball championship scheduled to be held in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, from January 5.
Each of the six teams will have 12 players – six Indian players and six foreign players – plus three development players for training.
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There will be one match every day in the league, and the second part of the league is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi in March.
To keep all the players engaged, there will be a Rapid League, of four quarters of four minutes each, to ensure that every player in a team gets to play on match day.
A collaboration has been made with the New Zealand Basketball which has a robust presence on the world stage. The Commissioner of the New Zealand Basketball League, Justin Nelson, has given INBL a franchise, the Indian Panthers, which will be based in Auckland and compete in New Zealand for five months.
“The New Zealand women players are getting the same salary as the men, within three years of starting the women’s league. If you get the foundation right, things can happen very quickly,” said Justin Nelson.
Set to be telecast around the world, the INBL Pro league has promised to generate videos and statistics of Indian players in due course of time to help them navigate the international pathway and compete at higher levels.
