TO COMMEMORATE its golden jubilee year, Dharampeth Krida Mandal (DKM), under the aegis of Nagpur District Basketball Association (NDBA) and Maharashtra State Basketball Association (MSBA), will be hosting 75th Maharashtra State Inter-District Senior Basketball Championship for the Chief Minister’s Trophy from Sunday. “This will be the third State tournament since the new body of MSBA took over in July.

 

This shows our interest in promoting the sport. Our main aim will always be to support and safeguard players’ interest. “I casually asked the CM if he was okay with the championship being named as CM Trophy to which he said ‘I have not forgotten that I was once president of NDBA’ and gave his approval. Also, despite his very tight schedule, Devendra Fadnavis will be in the city just to inaugurate this function at 5.30 pm on Sunday,” said MSBA and NDBA President MLC Sandip Joshi while addressing the media at DKM court on Saturday.

 

“As many as 59 teams, 36 men and 23 women, will be taking part in the tourney. There will be over a thousand people involved in the six-day event that concludes on October 31. We have booked over 200 rooms at MLA Guest House and NMC buses will be used to ferry players. High quality food including non-vegetarian food will be served to players daily. “Matches will be played at DKM, Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana (SNG) and Nutan Bharat Yuwak Sangh (NBYS) courts,” Joshi added.

 

He also informed that after the opening ceremony, Maharashtra players who have excelled at national event will be feted with cash prizes as was announced by MSBA. “About Rs 7.5 lakh in cash will be directly handed over to players of three State teams who finished on podium in recently concluded national championships.

 

We have promised to pay Rs 50,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively to each of the players finishing first, second and third respectively. We will also start giving cash prizes to players winning State tournaments,” said Joshi, who will be fighting the Maharashtra Olympic Association elections. MSBA Secretary Govind Mutthukumar, NDBA President Adv Abhay Kaple, NDBA Secretary Bhavesh Bhavesh Kuchanwar, Organising Secretary Anup Rajurkar and DKM Secretary Ravi Kulkarni were present during the press conference.