Maharashtra Basketball: 2nd Masters Basketball League- "Reunite, Reinvent, Replay"

A Masters Basketball League match underway at the Deccan Gymkhana, Pune.

Press Release, Pune: Basketball lovers in the city can look forward to two action-packed weekends with the announcement of the second edition of the hugely popular Masters Basketball League. A brainchild of some of the senior basketball players like Suvarna Limaye and Prasad Yeravdekar of the city, the league will feature former basketball players over the age of 35 from a dozen clubs across the city. The event will be organised on the plush Basketball Courts of Deccan Gymkhana using the club’s ultra-modern sports facilities.

The league that was conceived as a platform for former basketball players to reunite and recreate the passion with which they played the game, has received an overwhelming response this year again with more than 80 confirmed participants and a significant number on the waiting list. The absence of an official Masters Basketball Association has deprived hundreds of former basketball players of the opportunity to showcase their skills. Little wonder then that the league has elicited terrific interest from a significant number of former district, state, national and international level players.

There will be 9 teams of 9 players each comprising men and women between 35 and 65 years of age vying for the top honors. The playing five will comprise 4 men and 1 woman and an extremely interesting rule that requires every player to be a part of the playing five for a minimum of 5 minutes. Teams therefore need to demonstrate not only great basketball skills but also the knack to utilize their bench strength effectively.

The uniqueness of the tournament lies in the fact that there will be no sponsor. Instead, participants have decided to contribute to raise funds. The league will be played in the highest spirit of the game and stand for competitiveness through enjoyment.

The league that tips off on the 11^th of April will witness matches being played only in the evenings on the 12^th, 13^th, 17^th, 18^th and 19^th of April 2014. Basketball in India as we know it today owes it roots to the club culture from the past. This league will not only show the spirit and passion with which the game was played but would also afford participants and basketball aficionados the opportunity to revive the nostalgia.

Results of day 1-

Match #1
Team Dark Green V/s Team Light Green .
Half time score 11 – 12 in favor of team light green.
Final score 26 to 17 in favor of Dark Green
Top scores for Dark green -Sajida Bagwan 9 pts, Ashwin Deshpande 8 points
For Light Green -Sameer Ranade 8 pts, Nandini Dhus 4 pts

Match # 2

Team Blue v/s Team Orange
Half time score 6 -10 In Favor of team Orange
Full time score 21 – 15 in favor team Blue
Top scorer for team Blue -Lalit Nahata 11, Joel Williams 5
For team Orange- Prasad Yeravadekar 10, Niranjan Dixit 3

Match #3
team Gray v/s them Red
Half time score 11-8 in favor of team Gray
Full time score 27 – 19 in favor team Grey
Top score for team gray- Anand Kulkarni 13, Amit Ambedkar 11
Top score for team Red- Xitij Joshi 9,Vismay Dhonkasale 5 points