INBL 5×5 Season 1 Announced

The big moment for Indian basketball has arrived. Basketball Federation of India (BFI) announced INBL 5×5 which will see city-based teams in action representing Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata over 3 rounds before heading to the playoffs in January 2023. On offer for the teams and individuals is a prize money pool of over Rs50 lakhs.

Dr. K Govindaraj, MLC President, BFI, and Vice-president, Indian Olympic Association (IOA), said,” This day should be marked in golden letters in the history of Indian basketball. We are launching what has been the dream for millions of basketball fans in India. The format which is focused on local teams playing against each other in cities that are relatively more active hubs of basketball in India will ensure hundreds of talents are assessed on the ground for being filtered onto the next level.” “Earlier this year we launched and executed successfully the INBL 3×3 Season 1, which saw 9,000+ players in action in 20 cities across the country. The overwhelming response from the players proved the potential for basketball in India. The current goal of BFI is for Indian National Teams to be ready to play at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup and possibly the Olympics thereafter. And I do believe with all the things being done now and planned, we are on the right track,” he further added.

Chander Mukhi Sharma, Secretary General, BFI, said, “Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the National Federation to ensure that there is sufficient competition for the players and coaches as well as there is enough entertainment for the supporters and fans. I am confident that INBL 5×5 which is being attempted for the first time in India will fulfill both objectives. Players from the National team and National camps over the past few years will be pooled together and distributed to the teams to ensure there is quality action on the court,” adding, “In recent times, we have seen some very encouraging progress from our National Teams. The Under 16 team finished an unprecedented fifth in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship and the senior team to has shown steady progress in FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers. All these are very encouraging signs for Indian basketball.”