Basketball match fees for cagers too

Basketball lovers will have plenty to cheer about when the inaugural Mastan Basketball Professional League for Men and Women kicks off on May 8-15 at the Mastan YMCA Basketball courts.

The tournament will feature 120 players with 80 in the men’s section and 40 in the women.

What is an added boost for the sport and specially the players is a fixed match fee per game regardless of a win or loss.

Each member of the winning squad stands to earn Rs3000 while the losers will get Rs2000 in the league stage. The prize money will go up in the semifinals and finals.

Another added incentive is the ‘Best Player Award’ where they stand to win an INQ Phone.

The team to watch out for in the women’s draw will be the Golden Girls team that will comprise members of India’s junior national squad. The event is helping them to gain exposure before they head for a championship in Thailand next month.

The junior team will include two players from Maharashtra. The men will have two pools and with the top two from the respective pools qualifying for the semifinals, in the women’s draw the top two teams will face each other in the final.

Teams:

Men: Rangers, Challengers, Kings, Soldiers, Warriors, Lions, Riders, Prince

Women: Power Girls, Super Girls, Wonder Girls, Golden Girls