Rohtak all set to host Haryana's first ever All India Basketball Tournament
8 leading men’s club sides to participate, including two teams from Haryana.
Tournament will be held from 2 to 6 August on a league cum knockout format.
Organised by Basketball Club of Haryana (BCH) under the aegis of Haryana State Basketball Association and Basketball Federation of India (BFI).
Matches every day from 4 to 10 pm at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in Sector 6, Rohtak, Haryana.
This will be the 1st All India Basketball Tournament to be held in the state of Haryana.
A number of current and former India international stars participating.
Cash prizes of INR 1,00,000/- and INR 50,000/- to the winning teams.
Individual cash prizes for man of the match and tournament most valuable player (MVP).
Opening ceremony to take place at the playing venue on 2nd August at 3:30 pm.
Distinguished guests will include former India legends and senior BFI and state officials.
Rohtak, 1st August 2016: India’s rising basketball powerhouse Haryana is all set to host its first ever All India Basketball Tournament for Men from 2 to 6 August 2016.
The tournament will be organised by the Basketball Club of Haryana (BCH) under the aegis of the Haryana State Basketball Association and the Basketball Federation of India.
The eight participating teams are:
ONGC, Dehradun (Group A)
Indian Railways (Group B)
Punjab (Group B)
Indian Army (Group B)
Income Tax, Chennai (Group A)
Indian Air Force (Group A)
Haryana (Group A)
Basketball Club of Haryana (Group B)
The teams have been divided into two preliminary groups A and B. Matches will be played in a league cum knockout basis every day from 4pm to 10pm in the indoor hall of the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex in Rohtak. The top two teams from each Group progress to the semifinals, followed by the finals on 6th August. This is a prize money tournament and the winning team will receive INR 1,00,000/- and a trophy while the runners up get INR 50,000/-. Additionally, every man of the match will be awarded INR 2100/- and the tournament most valuable player (MVP) will get INR 5100/-. Individual winners will also receive trophies, and additionally the MVP will be gifted a full Rido basketball set. “We are excited to bring finally India’s biggest international players and club teams to Haryana. There are many All India Tournaments in the south and we felt that northern states too should play host. We hope this encourages our Haryana youth to pursue basketball careers,” said Mr Sudhir Hooda, organising secretary, who is also the newly appointed head coach of the Indian Railways men’s team. “Since there are two Haryana teams in the fray, this will be great exposure to local players against India’s best squads.” “We plan to grow this event year on year and include women teams as well in the future,” said Advocate Navdeep, Secretary of Basketball Club of Haryana. “We have already roped in sponsors and we thank them for their support. We hope this event will be a grand success for all stakeholders.” The tournament sponsors are Shiv Naresh, LPS Bossard, Kalinga University (Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh), Pahli Khabar, Desan International (‘Rido’), D2M Hotel, Disha and Scholars Rosary. The opening ceremony will be held on 2nd August from 3:30 pm onwards at the Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Complex, Sector-6, Rohtak followed by the inaugural set of matches. Shri Chander Parkash (IAS), Commissioner, Rohtak will be the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony, while Shri Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary-General of the Basketball Federation of India will be the guest of honour.
Stars playing and in attendance
The stars who are expected to be seen in action include current India internationals such as Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Amritpal Singh, Yadwinder Singh (ONGC), Haryana’s very own Narender Grewal and Joginder Singh (Indian Air Force), Akilan Pari and Rikin Pethani (Income Tax, Chennai). The former internationals include Trideep Rai, Riyazuddin, Mohit Bhandari, Anoop Mukkaniyil, Shabeer Ahamed, Riyazuddin and R Murali Krishna (all ONGC). Arjuna awardees Shri Om Prakash Sr. and Shri Ajmer Singh will be in attendance throughout the event, as well as Dhyand Chand Awardees Shri Ram Kumar and Smt Aparna Ghosh.
About Basketball Club of Haryana (BCH)
Basketball Club of Haryana The Basketball Club of Haryana was founded in August 2015 with the aim of promoting basketball in the state. The 25 founding members include many coaches, players and physios.
About Haryana Basketball
Haryana is an emerging basketball powerhouse in India. In the 2014-15 Senior National Basketball Championship held in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, the men’s team made a historic run to the semifinals after upsetting Punjab for the first time in history. The last few years has also seen the rise of guards Narender Grewal and Joginder Singh into the Senior Indian men’s team. They both hail from Bamla village in Bhiwani district. Subsequently, at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship guard Vikas Kumar (from Dablain village in Jind District) was selected in the senior Indian team. The current junior Indian team at the 24th FIBA Asia Championship for U18 Men featured two Haryana players- Deepak (Israna Tehsil in Panipat Dist.) and Sahil (Kalka Tehsil in Panchkula Dist.). At the youth (U16) level in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship there was one Haryana player each in the boys and girls sections: Ankit Joshi (from Faridabad) and Namrata Hooda (from Kiloi Khas village in Rohtak Dist.). At the national level, Haryana’s younger age group teams, both in the boys and girls, consistently finish among India’s elite Level 1 states.