2013-14 BFI IMG Reliance College Basketball League tips off in Ludhiana

The Indian Basketball inter-city college league now enters a new city to thrill a whole new group young athletes and fans.

After successful starts in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and New Delhi, the 2013/14 season of the BFI IMG Reliance College Basketball League tipped off in the city of Ludhiana, Punjab, on Sunday, February 9th. Following the same format as the earlier iterations of the league, the College league in Ludhiana features 20 teams, 10 each in the men and women's divisions. The league was tipped off at the Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana and was inaugurated by Dr. Ravinder Kaur Dhaliwal (Director Student's Welfare).

Teams from various different cities in Punjab are participating in the league. The tournament is being organized along with the Punjab Basketball Association (PBA).

This season's set of leagues is the largest ever, featuring a stop in eight Indian cities. The college winners from all the states will participate in the National Champions Cup to be held in April/May, 2014 in New Delhi.

Participating Teams

Men

• Group A: Government College (Ludhiana), DAV College (Amritsar), Layalpur Khalsa College (Jalandhar), Physical Education College (Samanna), College of Agriculture - PAU (Ludhiana).
  
• Group B: DAV College for Boys (Jalandhar), Khalsa College for Boys (Amritsar), Mata Gurji College (Fatehgarh Sahib), Lovely College of Engineering (Phagwara), College of Veterinary Sciences (Ludhiana).
  

Women

• Group A: Government College (Ludhiana), BBKDAV College (Ludhiana), Akal Degree College (Mastuana), College of Agriculture - PAU (Ludhiana), Guru Teg Bahadur College (Dasuya).
  
• Group B: Khalsa College (Ludhiana), Government College (Amritsar), HMV College (Jalandhar), College of Veterinary Sciences (Ludhiana), Government College of Physical Education (Patiala).

New Delhi hosts 2013-14 BFI-IMG Reliance College Basketball League

The 2013-14 BFI-IMG Reliance School Basketball League now heads to the nation's capital, as a total of 20 squads will compete for the title in New Delhi. The league, which has already launched in Hyderabad and Mumbai earlier this month, is set to be held in a record eight Indian cities this season.

The league is being organized in collaboration with the Delhi Basketball Association. After the leagues are completed in all eight cities, the winners from each will will participate in the National Champions Cup to be held in April/May, 2014 in New Delhi.

New Delhi's BFI-IMG Reliance College Basketball League - Participating Teams

Men

• Group A:Hindu College, Kirori Mal College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Zakir Husain College, Motilal Sri Venkateswara College.
  
• Group B:St. Stephen’s College, Hansraj College, Khalsa College, Nehru College, Ramjas College.
  

Women

• Group A: St. Stephen’s College, Miranda House College, Ramjas College, Khalsa College, Kirori Mal College.
  
• Group B: Lady Shri Ram College, Shri Ram College of Commerce, Gargi College, Sri Venkateswara College, Jesus and Mary College.
  

2013-14 BFI-IMG Reliance College Basketball League tips off in Mumbai

After a successful start in Hyderabad, the BFI-IMG Reliance College Basketball League tipped off in the second city in India this season, Mumbai on Thursday, January 23rd. The league is being held in association with the Maharashtra Basketball Association.

In the same format as the recent school basketball leagues that are being held around India, the college league in Mumbai will also involved 10 Men's and 10 Women's teams. Mumbai is the second stop of the College League, which will be held in a record eight cities this season.

Mumbai's BFI-IMG Reliance College Basketball League - Participating Teams

Men

• Group A: Kishinchand Chellaram College of Arts, Science & Commerce (KC), Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College, Smt. MMK College of Commerce & Economics (MMK), Gurunanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science & Commerce (Khalsa), Maharashtra College of Arts, Science & Commerce (Maharashtra).
  
• Group B: HR College of Commerce & Economics (HR), St. Xavier’s College, Veermata Jijabhai Technological Institute (VJTI), RA Podar College of Commerce & Economics (Podar), Dwarkadas J Sanghvi College of Engineering (DJ Sanghvi).
  

Women

• Group A: RA Podar College of Commerce & Economics (Podar), Ramnarain Ruia College (Ruia), HR College of Commerce & Economics (HR), Smt. MMK College of Commerce & Economics (MMK), Dwarkadas J Sanghvi College of Engineering (DJ Sanghvi).
  
• Group B: Thakur College, St. Xavier’s College, Gurunanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science & Commerce (Khalsa), Veermata Jijabhai Technological Institute (VJTI), Sophia College For Women.
  

BFI-IMG Reliance tips of College Basketball League for the season - starting in Hyderabad

In the exact same mould of the School Basketball Leagues that are being held (or have recently concluded) in various cities around India, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and IMG Reliance have launched this year's BFI IMG Reliance College Basketball League. The first step of the league tipped off in Hyderabad with 10 men's and 10 women's teams on December 30th. The Andhra Pradesh Basketball Association also worked in conjunction to organize this competition.

Just like the School League, the College League will be held in eight cities around the country: last year's returning cities New Delhi, Mumbai, Indore, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai, and two new additions in Indore and Hyderabad. 10 men's and 10 women's teams will participate in each city. The college winners from all the states will participate in the National Champions Cup to be held in April/May, 2014 in New Delhi.

The launch of both the school and college leagues in India signifies an important step in strengthening basketball at the grassroots level in India and make it a bigger part of the daily life of young Indians. As hoops grows in the biggest Indian cities - and then passes on to smaller and smaller towns - it will lay a foundation for the eventual Indian professional basketball league.

According to the BFI, one of the main goals of the College League is to start the first pan-India League, as opposed to the current system of competition, which is usually in the form of tournaments. As part of the 2013-14 College League, BFI and IMG Reliance have put aside money for each participating Colleges for refurbishments of their home courts. With the help of the State Basketball Association, BFI and IMG Reliance hopes this initiative will incentivize colleges to invest in basketball.

Here are the Participating Teams at the league in Hyderabad:

Men

Group A: Loyola Academy, Bhavans Degree College, Mallareddy Engineering College, Muffakham Jha College of Engineering and Technology, Nizam Degree College.
Group B: AV College, St. Martin's Engineering College, Avanti Degree College, BITS Pilani, CVSR College of Engineering.

Women

Group A: Loyola Academy, St. Ann's Degree College, Kasturba Degree College, CVSR College of Engineering, Gokaraju Nukaraju Engineering College.
Group B: Narayanamma Engineering College, St. Francis Degree College, St. Martins Engineering College, BITS Pilani, Government College of Physical Education.