Top cagers for first pro league

Mumbai: Top men and women cagers of the country, including renowned names like Vishesh Braghuvanshi, Sambhaji Kadam, S Robinson and Geethu Anna Jose, are to take part in the Rs 14-lakh prize money first Mastan Basketball Professional League here from May 8-15. The tournament is being held directly by the Basketball Federtion of India and the Mastan YMCA with the BFI coaches picking the eight men`s and four women`s teams, BFI secretary-general Harish Sharma told reporters today. "This is not the NBA, but in our own way we are starting a league for the betterment of basketball. We want the best players from the country playing for balanced teams, but they are not associated with any commercial groups," Sharma said. "We have invited most international players for the tournament, including the junior national women campers at Indore who would be playing as one team. The junior men would be distributed among various teams. The matches would be watched by the national coaches and government observer," the BFI official said. Sharma said the players would be given cash prizes for each match, ranging from Rs 2000 each to Rs 5000 each, whether they finish on the winning side or losing side. They are also being given good hotel accommodation and all the expenses of the tournament are being taken care of by sponsors Lakadawala Developers, he added. PTI