Among the potential players selected to represent Maharashtra in the upcoming 73rd Senior National Basketball Championships in Ludhiana, six men and five women from Mumbai have made the cut. The selection process, however, faced challenges due to an ongoing dispute between factions in Maharashtra.
To navigate through the issue, Shaktisinh Gohil was appointed by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) as the Chairman of the Organising Committee. The committee, which comprised former internationals such as Abdul Hamid Khan, Sambhaji Kadam, Arnika Gujar Patil, Gurudutt Nayak, and Dr. Jamir Sayyed, was responsible for conducting the selection trials.
The task at hand involved choosing the best players from a pool of 78 men and 48 women who participated in the trials across various districts. The selectors aimed to assemble a competitive team despite the challenges posed by the ongoing dispute.
To oversee the preparation of the chosen probables, a preparatory camp has been scheduled to take place in Mumbai from November 18 to December 1. During this period, the final 12 players who will proudly represent Maharashtra in the championships will be determined.
The basketball community eagerly awaits the outcome of this rigorous selection process.
Probables
Men: Sidddhant Shinde , Rajender Singh, Mohd Yousuf Sayyed, Michael Raj, Sameer Qureshi (all Pune), Faiz Firoz Shaikh (Mum S E), Faisal Khan, Ashraf Siddiqui (Mum S W), Rushabh Kalbhor, Yash Shetty (Mum Central), Vijay Sule (Mum North), Parth Kale, Tanmay Mali (Thane), Kapil Gaikwad, Ashish Borde (Ahmednagar), Sahil Shaikh (Solapur), Ambhore Parashram (Aurangabad), Tanay Thatte (Satara), Tanuk Gurnule (Nagpur).
Women: Pooja Doshi (Dhule), Shivani Bagade (Kolhapur), Sakshi Pandey, Ameesha Joshi (Mum S E), Vaishali Singh (Mum S W), Anshika Kanojia, Suzanne Pinto (Mum North), Shomira Bidaye, Siya Deodhar (Nagpur), Mansi Nirmalkar, Aanaya Bhavsar, Arya Riswadkar, Durga Dharmadhikari (Pune), Avisha Gurav (Satara), Sanika Phule (Kolhapur), Aruja Kamble (Solapur).