Tag: Sunny Bhandarkar

Elite Pro Basketball League’s CEO Sunny Bhandarkar buys a team ‘Emerging Elite’ in Street Ball League owned by Rannvijay Singha and Harman Singha

MUMBAI: Elite Pro Basketball League CEO Sunny Bhandarkar, CMO Kaustubh Ghare, COO Pranav Prabhu and operations head Bharat Singh have bought a team in the Street Ball League owned by Rannvijay Singha and Harman Singha. Street Ball League is a one of its kind 3v3 semi-pro basketball league in India where streets meet basketball. The main aim behind buying the team is to promote the sport of Basketball in India.

‘Emerging Elite’ is the newest entrant in the league which will kick start its journey in the third season in Mumbai from 8 October 2022. The ‘Emerging Elite’ Team will include Abhyudaya Yadav, Abhishek Rathee, Abhishek Tyagi, Sidhant Shinde, Ajinkya Mane and Arvind Arumugam. Out of the six players Abhishek Tyagi, Abhishek Rathee and Abhyudaya Yadav recently represented India as Delhi Storms at the recently concluded Red Bull Half Court World Final in Egypt. Though the team went down by two points in the pre-quarters fighting Greece it gave them a lot of exposure.

Bhandarkar said, “We are really happy to buy a team in the upcoming Street Ball League. The main aim behind this move is to promote the game of Basketball in India. We believe we have a lot of potential and would love to see India qualify for the Olympics shortly and compete with the best athletes globally.”

Elite Pro Basketball League CMO Kaustubh Ghare said, “We are sure initiatives like these will help to grow Basketball in India and we want to play a crucial part in uplifting the game in India. We are also proud of Delhi Storms who played well and went down fighting to Greece which is far superior at the moment when it comes to the game as compared to us.”

Elite Pro Basketball League India’s first-of-its-kind 5×5 Pro Basketball League recently announced that they were going to organise two wildcards tryouts in Chennai and Delhi and they have received over 1200 athlete registrations. Elite Pro Basketball League which will kick start its first season early next year will feature 12 teams and has already signed over 140 athletes to play in various teams.

October 8, 2022
Elite Pro basketball signs top players from India; announces two more try outs

Mumbai: Elite Pro Basketball League is a 5×5 pro basketball league featuring 12 teams filled with Indian players. They held a try-out in May in Hyderabad, which saw over 250 athletes attending it. Now the team has announced two more try outs in October to give another platform for basketball players to try their hand at playing in the biggest basketball league ever organised in India. The league is organised by Elite Pro Basketball and is scheduled to begin matches in January 2023.

The first round of try-outs saw names from the Indian basketball team like Jagdeep Singh Bains, Pratham Singh, K Ravikumar, Vinay Kaushik, Rachit Singh, Prakash Mishra, and Arshdeep Singh, among others. Out of the 250 odd athletes the league signed over 100 players to play in different teams in the league. The team has been receiving calls from across India asking for more try outs and opportunities to be a part of the league which has compelled the organisers to announce two more try outs one in Chennai between 8-10 October and another in Delhi from 28-30 October 2022.

With 12 marquee players already signed, the organisers have signed another 100 or so players who will be playing in the league. These include basketball players from the Indian team and also athletes who excelled in the first try out. Manik Ohlan, Zeemamudin, Shiv Khoiwal, Prasanna Venkatesh S, Praveen Kumar C, Jeevanantham, Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Gaurav Ohlan, Sunil Rathee, Akshay Adhana, Abhishek Rathee, Abhishek Tyagi, Vikas Mor, Princepal Singh Bajwa, Siddhant Shinde, Himanshu Sharma, and Abhudaya Yadav are a few of the other top names who have been recently signed by the league.

Elite Pro Basketball CEO Sunny Bhandarkar said, “The response we have got is immense. A lot of people who couldn’t make it to the try outs had reached out to us asking if we could hold another try out as they wanted to be a part of the biggest basketball league in India. Hence, we decided to not have one but two try outs to give budding basketball players a chance to showcase their talent. Through this league and everyone’s support, we want to revolutionise the sport of basketball in India and we will leave no stone unturned till we achieve this goal.”

August 31, 2022
Bradshaw Capital acquires Elite Pro Basketball League franchise Jaipur Giants

Mumbai: Bradshaw Capital has acquired the Jaipur Giants franchise of the Elite Pro Basketball League. Bradshaw Capital is led by former Montblanc US CEO Bill Brown. Elite Pro Basketball is a 5×5 Pro Basketball League featuring 12 teams filled with Indian players. The Jaipur Giants has signed former Indian National Team player and current Indian Railways player, Prakash Mishra, as their marquee player, and have also drafted Rajat Shrivastava and Samuel Gali, among others. The league is organised by Elite Sports India (ESI) and is scheduled to begin matches in January 2023.

The organisers said that from his experience as a varsity athlete at Cornell University and his current sports activities, Brown clearly understands the life-changing and life-long positive impact sports can have on young athletes and is thrilled to play a role in the Elite Pro Basketball league.

In 2016, Brown attended the AIU National Championship Basketball Tournament in Mumbai and recognised the enormous potential of basketball in India. Brown said, “The Elite Pro Basketball League is a natural destination for India’s best university players. And hopefully the very best will come to Jaipur!”

Elite Pro Basketball CEO Sunny Bhandarkar said, “We are pleased to welcome Bradshaw Capital to Elite Pro Basketball and having someone of Brown’s stature as a team owner, assures us that the League is on the road to great success, and we are committed to growing basketball in India.”

July 20, 2022
Former PepsiCo India’s David Pross joins Elite Pro Basketball League as chief advisor

MUMBAI: David Pross has joined the Elite Pro Basketball, a first of its kind in India a 5×5 Pro Basketball League as an advisory board member for the league. Having worked in various countries across the globe, David Pross with all his experience will help the team in planning and executing the league. Organized by Elite Sports India (ESI), it will attract top players, coaches across India and will have the highest salaries in the Indian basketball circuit.

Pross ESI said someone who has a great idea of the Indian market as he has launched his fourth new business initiative in India with Mobile Global Esports (MOGO). He also led the financial development of PepsiCo’s investment in India. This project achieved the first new launch of a global brand in India in 15 years, a market previously closed to investments by foreign consumer product companies. In his stint with R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, he managed to gain government approval, environmental clearances and the industrial license for the only new foreign investment in India’s tobacco industry in 75 years.

Pross said, “Elite Pro Basketball gives the most exciting players in India a chance to prove their skills and create a dynamic showcase for the way basketball should be played — a fast-paced, nothing conceded, score-at-will game of the best.”

Elite Pro Basketball CEO Sunny Bhandarkar said, “Having someone as experienced as Mr Pross will certainly help us immensely. His inputs will be crucial in making this a World class league, our initial conversations have already been beneficial, and he has some great ideas which we will be implementing.”

June 17, 2022
Elite Pro Basketball League signs marquee Indian national players

Mumbai: India’s Elite Pro Basketball League has announced its first round of key player signings for the 12 participating franchises. Organised by Elite Sports India (ESI), the player announcements were made on social media.

The key signings include Indian national team players like Jagdeep Bains (Mumbai Stars), Pratham Singh (Pune Pythons) Prakash Mishra (Jaipur Giants). Other players include Basil Philip (Kochi Packers), Vinay Kaushik (Chandigarh Conquerors), actor Arvind Krishna (Hyderabad Hoops), Ram Gopal (Lucknow Swarm), Ravikumar (Chennai Turbos), Rachit Singh (Punjab Gladiators), Karan Pal Singh (Ahmedabad Aces), Arshdeep Singh (Delhi Dominators) and Visu Palani (Bengaluru Stallions).

Also read: 5*5 Elite Pro Basketball League to launch in August; targets three-year breakeven

Mumbai Stars’ player Jagdeep Bains said, “I am super excited to be a part of India’s first and only pro basketball league. This will give a platform to grow the sport in India which is much required.”

Pune Pythons’ player Pratam Singh said, “Elite Pro Basketball League is the need of the hour. They are not only promoting the sport but also athlete-friendly and are giving the best remuneration for players in India. This will boost the sport in India and encourage younger players to take up the sport.”

“When we approached these players, they were immediately sold on the idea of the league and thought this would be a great platform to promote the sport in India,” said Elite Pro Basketball CEO Sunny Bhandarkar.

“The shelf life of professional athletes, especially in our country, remains very limited. We are keen to provide new opportunities to proven Indian team stars, and EPBL will be a financially rewarding second innings for them. EPBL is committed to elongating players’ careers through enhanced incentives and high visibility across platforms.”

EPBL had conducted a basketball try out. “Basketball is a sport on the rise in India. EPBL aims to be a crucial addition in India’s basketball calendar to ensure the country’s best players maintain their competitive fitness and can contribute in a superior manner to their local club, state and national teams,” remarked Bhandarkar.

June 10, 2022
5*5 Elite Pro Basketball League to launch in August; targets three-year breakeven

Mumbai: A 5×5 Pro Basketball League, featuring 12 teams is set to be launched in August. The Elite Pro Basketball League is being organised by Elite Sports India (ESI) and will feature players from across the country.

Speaking to IndianTelevision.com, Elite Pro Basketball League CEO Sunny Bhandarkar said that 5×5 Basketball is a growing sport in India, with millions of children now playing Basketball from grade school through high school. “Our founding company ESI has been broadcasting the All-India University’s National Basketball Championship tournament since 2014; and having witnessed first-hand the growing popularity (and skills) of University Basketball, we believe the market is under-served and eager for the excitement and energy of professional-level basketball,” he added.

Bhandarkar further stated that India as a whole has picked up a lot of interest in Basketball over the past few years. Much of the credit he explains goes to foreign companies pushing their content onto the Indian platforms. “While it’s great to see the youth of India follow foreign Basketball leagues, we feel that there are so many talented Indian basketball players who deserve an opportunity to play in a professional league in their country. This would also motivate the youth to practice harder and train themselves to someday become professional players for Elite Pro Basketball League. These will only and only take the level of basketball play in India to new heights,” he asserted.

When queried about the investors Bhandarkar said that there are about a dozen US-based investors (some of the Indian descent) who provided all of the initial funding for the league, and each of those investors has an ownership interest in a particular team.

“We estimate that the league will reach breakeven by year three after the league is launched in August of this year. The league does have a large portfolio of other investors willing to provide additional league funding for several years beyond that three-year mark to spur additional growth. We have structured our teams around the key markets in the country. Eg: Mumbai, Jaipur, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and so on,” Bhandarkar mentioned.

In terms of revenue streams available for the promoters, he pointed to media rights, licensing and merchandise, pay-per-view, sponsorships, online stores, camps, ticket sales etc.

Explaining the league’s structure he said that it is not a traditional franchise model. “As I mentioned earlier, the initial investors have already acquired the rights to own a particular team. The league is not a traditional franchise model, rather it mirrors the Major League Soccer model in the US whereby there are both team owners and league owners. FYI, some team owners have also acquired ownership in the League but there will be opportunities for new investors to invest in the league; and after three years there may even be opportunities to acquire a team from one of the initial team owners.”

In terms of a broadcast partner, he said that the league is currently in talks and plans to announce its selection at a later date. On the marketing and promotional activities front, he noted that Elite Pro Basketball’s player sign-ups, drafts and selection tryouts have created a huge buzz on social media and will continue to go on as we unveil the next round of players.

“We plan to keep many exhibition games of our selected roster in various cities. The EPB star players would make appearances in schools and colleges to give away basketballs as well as conduct one-day workshops. One of the most important things we are doing here is that we are going to conduct an entire University League with EUSAI (Elite Universal Sports Alliance India) which has already partnered with 80 top universities in India to draft the best talents from the collegiate level and give the students an opportunity to go professional in our league. This will be an essential part of our strategy for years to come,” he concluded.

May 4, 2022