Elite Pro Basketball League
Elite Pro Basketball League (EPBL) is a professional franchise basketball league in India. Elite Pro Basketball Pvt Ltd was incorporated in February 2022 under the directorship of Sunny Bhandarkar and Pranav Prabhu. It is owned and operated by Elite Sports India (ESI).[1][2]
 | |
| Founded | 2022 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2023 |
| Country | India |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| CEO | Sunny Bhandarkar |
| TV partners | EPBL (YouTube) |
| Website | EPBLeague.com |
 2023 Elite Pro Basketball League | |
Teams
The league currently has sixteen franchised teams.[3][4]
| Team | Representing city/state |
|---|---|
| Ahmedabad Aces | Ahmedabad |
| Bengaluru Stallions | Bengaluru |
| Chandigarh Conquerors | Chandigarh |
| Chennai Turbos | Chennai |
| Delhi Dominators | Delhi |
| Eastern Tigers | Kolkata |
| Goa Waves | Goa |
| Hyderabad Hoops | Hyderabad |
| Jaipur Giants | Jaipur |
| Kochi Pachers | Kochi |
| Lucknow Swarm | Lucknow |
| Mumbai Stars | Mumbai |
| Nagpur Knights | Nagpur |
| Pune Pythons | Pune |
| Punjab Gladiators | Punjab |
| Surat Diamonds | Surat |
Try-outs
EPBL's first try-out took place at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on 12 May 2022. Over 250 basketball players took part in the try-out, and 150 players were selected by the twelve franchises which includes players from the Indian basketball team including Jagdeep Singh Bains, Pratham Singh, K. Ravikumar, Vinay Kaushik, Rachit Singh, Prakash Mishra and Arshdeep Singh.[5][6][7]
Jaipur Giants have been acquired by Bradshaw Capital, an American company lead by former Montblanc USA CEO, Bill Brown.[8][9]
Top players
In June 2022 the league announced its first round of marquee player signings for some of the participating franchises.[10][11]
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Jagdeep Bains | Mumbai Stars |
| Pratham Singh | Pune Pythons |
| Prakash Mishra | Jaipur Giants |
| Basil Philip | Kochi Packers |
| Vinay Kaushik | Chandigarh Conquerors |
| Arvind Krishna | Hyderabad Hoops |
| Ram Gopal | Lucknow Swarm |
| Ravikumar | Chennai Turbos |
| Rachit Singh | Punjab Gladiators |
| Karan Pal Singh | Ahmedabad Aces |
| Arshdeep Singh | Delhi Dominators |
| Visu Palani | Bengaluru Stallions |
See also
References
- "India's Elite Pro Basketball League to feature 12 teams". Ekalavyas. 16 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- Imtiaz, Md (11 June 2022). "Elite Pro Basketball League signs top Indian national players as marquee signings". thebridge.in. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- "Elite Pro Basketball League adds four new teams ahead of pre-season camp in March". ThePrint. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- "Elite Pro Basketball League to organise its preseason from March 11-20". News Room Odisha. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- Subrahmanyam, V. V. (13 May 2022). "Try outs conducted for EPBL". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- "Indian 5x5 Basketball League Tryouts held in Hyderabad". Ekalavyas. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- "Try out for EPBL - News for All | Jai Mahakaal". 13 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ANI (19 July 2022). "American Investment Group acquires Jaipur Giants team in Elite Pro Basketball League". ThePrint. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- "Bradshaw Capital obtain rights to Jaipur Giants of Elite Pro Basketball League". SportsMint Media. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- "Elite Pro Basketball League signs top Indians as marquee players". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- "Elite Pro Basketball League Signs Top Indians as Marquee Players". News18. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- up18news (12 August 2022). "The youngest CEO of Elite Sports India- Mr Sunny Bhandarkar". Up18 News. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
- "David Pross joins Elite Pro Basketball League as Chief Advisor - Exchange4media". Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- "David Pross joins Elite Pro Basketball League as chief advisor". www.adgully.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.