Recently-crowned Asian champion Dhruv Sitwala, former Asian Games gold medal winner Ashok Shandilya, Devendra Joshi and Nalin Patel are some of the leading players who will be seen in action at the second BSAM Billiards Premier League that starts here on August 19.
Carrying a total prize pool of Rs 10 lakh with the winners getting Rs 3.2 lakh, the League will feature eight teams, two less than last year, and top players like Sitwala will play with handicaps, it was announced today.
Sitwala, who will play with a -240 handicap and represent Ottomans, plans to utilise the event to finetune his game for the World Championships commencing September 18, he said.
Shandilya (-190 handicap) would play for Mumbai Stars, Patel (-210) is to represent Rajdhani Ki Aryans, former world runner-up Joshi would play for SPG Billiardiers and Siddharth Parikh (-240) would turn out for Adamo Potters.
Each team would comprise six players and the players have been given handicaps based on Billiards and Snooker Association of Maharashtra's League.
The runners-up team in the event that concludes on August 27 would pocket Rs 2.7 lakh while the third and fourth placed outfits would receive Rs 2.2 and Rs 1.7 lakh respectively.
"Next year we want to make it a mix of billiards and snooker and want to give Rs ten lakh as the top prize. We also want to make it an all-India event," said tournament organising committee member, Derek Sippy.
"This year Sitwala fetched the highest amount of Rs 38,500 in the player auction while four others players will get Rs 4,000 each - the lowest bid price," he said.
Matches would be held in the NSCI, Bombay Gymkhana, Garware Club House and P J Hindu Gymkhana.
