54th All India Basketball tournament kick starts in the city from May 27

By SimpliCity News Team, Photos: M. Balaji

May 24, 2019 02:13 PM

Coimbatore: The Coimbatore District Basketball Association is conducting the 54th Nachimuthu Gounder Cup for men and the 18th C.R.I Pump Trophy for women from May 27 onward at the V.O.C Park basketball court, here in the city.

Top 16 teams including eight leading women's teams from across the country will be taking part in the tournament. CDBA planned to conduct these matches on a league and knockout basis from May 27 to June 1.

In the men's category, Income Tax (Chennai), Indian Railways (Delhi), Indian Army (New Delhi), Bank of Baroda (Karnataka), Indian Navy (Lonavola), Indian Bank (Chennai), Indian Air Force (New Delhi) and Coimbatore District Basketball Association (Coimbatore) are the eight teams taking part in the tournament.

Southwest Railways (Hubli), South Central Railways (Secunderabad), Kerala Police (Trivandram), Arise Steel (Chennai) Eastern Railways (Kolkata), Kerala State Electricity Board (Trivandram), Southern Railways (Chennai) and Coimbatore District Basketball Association (Coimbatore) are the teams taking part in the women's category of the tournament. 

A cash prize of Rs.1 lakh, Rs.50,000, Rs.20,000 and Rs.15,000 will be presented to the top four teams in the men's category, while Rs.50,000, Rs. 25,000, Rs. 15,000 and Rs.10,000 will be awarded in the women's category. Special awards for fair play and promising players will also be awarded as part of the tournament. 

"The tournament is expected to be a competitive one since all the best teams from the country are taking part. This year, CDBA has created an opportunity for Coimbatore players to take part in the tournament as we have included the CDBA team in both men's and women's categories. This will be a good opportunity for city players to gain experience from big players in the country," said T Palanisamy, the Vice President of Coimbatore District Basketball Association.