Hoopdarshan Episode 71: Mizoram basketball superstar Lalrina Renthlei on the MSL and hoops in the North-East

With the finals of the fifth season of India's most-extra basketball event - the Mizoram Basketball League (MSL) - in our sights, Hoopdarshan welcomes Mizo basketball's biggest star and last season's MVP Lalrina Renthlei as our special guest for Episode 71. In a wide-ranging interview, Renthlei speaks to hosts Kaushik Lakshman and Karan Madhok about the MSL's growth, basketball in the North-East, toggling between pro basketball and snooker, and his ambitions to play for India's national team.

Lalrina Renthlei (27) is the biggest star out of Mizoram basketball. He is the top player of the MSL, and was famously the first Mizo to dunk int he league. Earlier this year, he became only the second Mizo player to make India's national team probables in 13 years. He also played in the 3BL league for Bengaluru and took part in the Hyderabad World Tour Masters. Aside from basketball, Renthlei is an accomplished snooker professional as well.

Episode 71 also rounds up recent Indian basketball news, with shout-outs to Tim Hardaway, Sanjana Ramesh, Amjyot Singh, and the NBA/WNBA inspirations of India's top players.



Hoopdarshan is the truest voice of Indian basketball, and since we're such hopeless fans of the game, it will become the voice of everything basketball related we love, from the NBA to international hoops, too. On every episode of Hoopdarshan, we will be inviting a special guest to interview or chat to about a variety of topics. With expert insight from some of the brightest and most-involved people in the world of Indian basketball, we hope to bring this conversation to a many more interested fans, players, and followers of the game.

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Novi Sad emerge Champions of FIBA 3x3 World Tour Hyderabad Masters

The world’s best 3x3 team, Novi Sad (Serbia), took the title of champions away yet again at the Hyderabad Masters in the FIBA 3x3 World Tour at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on September 23, 2018. They beat leading team Liman Tesla Voda 21-16 in a high-octane finale on Sunday.

Novi Sad won their fifth World Tour Masters and have already qualified for the World Tour Finals in Beijing.

Indian team, Delhi 3BL, had qualified for the quarter-finals and played their match against Princeton from USA which they lost 14 – 21. Delhi’s star players Inderbir Singh Gill, Bikramjit Gill, Kiran Shastri and Jason Carter put in their best fight against Princeton but fell short against the American team. They have qualified for the Kuala Lumpur Masters on October 13 and 14, 2018 already by winning the Taoyuan Challenger Cup 2018 and will compete at an international platform again for a chance to qualify for the World Tour Finals in Beijing this year.

Hyderabad Masters was the first time India was hosting the prestigious FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters and three Indian teams (Delhi 3BL, Hyderabad 3BL and Bangalore 3BL) participated and got the opportunity to play against the best international teams and players. It was the seventh stop of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters.

Top international 3x3 teams including World No. 1 Novi Sad to compete in FIBA 3x3 World Tour Hyderabad Masters

One of the most prestigious 3x3 platforms in the world, FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters is coming to India with the Hyderabad Masters on 22nd and 23rd September 2018 at People’s Plaza, Hyderabad. The best international 3x3 teams will be coming to India for the seventh stop of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters and competing for a chance to qualify for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Bloomage Beijing Final in October 2018.

The best 3x3 team in the world currently, Novi Sad, with their star player Dusan Bulut who has won more 3x3 trophies than anyone else, will be competing at People’s Plaza. Other teams and players to watch out for will be Piran (World #3), Belgrade (World #9), Simon Finzgar (World #8), Anze Srebovt (#9), Gasper Ovnik (#10), Bogdan Dragovic, Dulgunn Enkhbat and many more.

The two Indian teams competing – Delhi 3BL and Bangalore 3BL will have to put up a strong fight to emerge at the top against these key teams and players. Delhi 3BL with Inderbir Gill (USA #6), Bikramjit Gill (Canada #4), Leandro Souza de Lima (Brazil #1) and Kiran Shastri have competed at Utsunomiya Masters and Mexico City Masters from FIBA 3x3 World Tour where they ranked ninth, Dreals 3x3 World Championship Cup Paris where they emerged third and Taoyuan 3x3 International Challenger Cup 2018 which they won, to qualify for the Kuala Lumpur Masters. Bangalore 3BL, with Rajan Sharma, Lalrina Renthlei, Sowkim Shetty and Amit Sehrawat are also prepared to put their strongest foot forward at the Hyderabad Masters.

The qualification of the Indian teams was decided on the basis of India’s first ever FIBA recognised 3x3 league, 3x3 Pro Basketball League (3BL) which was conducted from June 9 to August 26, 2018 across India. Participation was seen from 12 teams, out of which two were given berths at the Hyderabad Masters.

3x3 basketball has also been recognized as an Olympic sport and will be introduced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. India has a chance to compete against some of the best teams in Hyderabad which will help improve the skills and abilities of Indian 3x3 players.

Speaking about the Hyderabad Masters, Rohit Bakshi, League Commissioner, 3BL said, “3x3 basketball has been my passion since a long time and I am proud to see how it’s finally gaining importance in India. The fact that FIBA World Tour Masters has come down to the country is enough proof of India’s potential and passion for basketball. 3BL as well received some very encouraging support from the country, and I am excited to see how our Indian teams play for the FIBA World Tour Masters in Hyderabad.”

Alex Sanchez, Managing Director of FIBA 3x3 said, “India is a country where immense passion for sports is deep-rooted and basketball as a sport has great potential to grow and develop here. Following 3BL’s success, we are sure the FIBA World Tour Masters will inspire the country to follow the modern sport and achieve more international titles in 3x3 basketball in the coming years.”

Inderbir Singh Gill of Delhi 3BL, who was the MVP of 3x3BL's first season, said: “3x3 basketball is a really challenging, but exciting game. Winning the inaugural season of 3BL and getting the chance to participate in four international 3x3 tournaments was thrilling and helped improve our game. We hope to show the international teams and our Indian fans what we can achieve when we set our minds to it.”

India to host an official FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters event for the first time

For the first time, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Masters event will be held in India this month, at the People's Plaza in Hyderabad on September 22-23. Leading international 3x3 basketball teams will take part in the competition, and will be joined by the two top teams from India's 3x3BL league, Delhi 3BL and Bangalore 3BL.

The Hyderabad Masters is the seventh stage of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour and is the first time an international 3x3 basketball tournament is being played in India. The participating teams will compete for a chance to qualify for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Bloomage Beijing Final on October 27-28, 2018. The best international teams like Novi Sad (World #1), Piran (#3), Belgrade (#9) and more, along with top international players like Simon Finzgar (World #8), Anze Srebovt (#9) and Gasper Ovnik (#10) will be playing at Hyderabad.

The qualification for Indian 3x3 teams was decided on the basis of the results of the inaugural season of 3x3 Pro Basketball League (3BL) which was held from June 9 to August 26, 2018 across six cities in India. The two leading teams - Delhi , which won five rounds out of six and Bangalore, which won one round. Members of team Delhi are- Inderbir Gill, Bikramjit Gill, Leandro Souza de Lima and Kiran Shastri. Members of team Bangalore are- Sowkin Shetty, Amit Sehrawat, Rajan Sharma and Lalrina Renthlei.

Speaking about the FIBA 3x3 World Tour, Hyderabad Masters, Yoshiya Katoh, Chairman, 3BL, said, "India is getting a chance like never before – to host the FIBA 3x3 World Tour. Only nine other cities in the world have been the hosts in this edition. This is an opportunity for Indian basketball players to compete against the strongest opponents and improve their game. We are proud to be a part of this landmark moment."

Rohit Bakshi, League Commissioner, 3BL, said, "One of my biggest dreams has been to see an Indian team win a medal at an international platform in 3x3 basketball. Team Delhi 3BL and Bangalore 3BL both have the potential to emerge at the top in Hyderabad Masters and qualify for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals. Moreover, competing against international teams is only going to be improve their game and increase our chances for 2020 Tokyo Olympics."