In its first season, the Poker Sports League will consist of 12 teams, seven of which have already been sold and the remaining five shall be made available for sale shortly. These teams are associated with some of the well-known names from corporate India such as
Kunal Shah (Co-Founder, FreeCharge),
Mehul Shah (Original Promoter, Anchor Electrical),
Rishi Kajaria (Joint MD, Kajaria Ceramics),
Karan Bhagat (Co-Founder, IIFL Wealth),
Purrshottam Bhaggeria (Joint MD, Filatex Group),
Ankkit Bahadur (Co-Owner, Playboy North India) and
Gaurav Mohan (Founder, Eventwala) who strongly believe in the potential of the game and its ability to harness the latent talent from across the nation.
The 12 teams will consist of a total of 108 players who will play for the prize money of INR 3.36 crore. These teams will be selected through 70+ qualifying rounds held across various cities for a period of nearly 3 months, as well as through online tournaments that will begin early in 2017. The players who qualify to the 12 teams will then compete to play at the Mega Finals, where the best and the finest of India’s poker talent will be invited to a display of skill and entertainment.
Speaking about the potential of the league,
Mr. Amit Burman, Founder, Poker Sports League said, “Poker is a popular mind sport across the globe and has gained tremendous traction within India, amongst individuals looking to challenge their mind, grit and decision making abilities. Although the game is played with cards and there is an element of luck - the vast majority of the game depends on pure skill, mathematics, probability and decision making strategy. With no entry fee and a sizeable prize money to aim for, the Poker Sports League is a unique opportunity for players of the game to hone their skills as well as popularize the game that is set to be recognized by the International Mind Sports association along with Chess, Bridge and Draughts”.
True to its vision of harnessing talent across India, the Poker Sports League will offer players an opportunity to play and learn from some of the best players in India. Every team will also have a professional poker player as a mentor and captain to develop team strategy and help young players sharpen their skills during the play.
At the helm of the Poker Sports League will be a core team that includes some of the well known names associated with poker in India, and known for their expertise, knowledge and passion for the game. The team includes Anuj Gupta, Founder of Adda52.com – India’s largest Poker portal who is also a co-founder of Poker Sports League. The team is further strengthened by Pranav Bagai, the Founder of India Poker Legend – India’s premier tournament series. Besides, being the co-founder of the league, Pranav has also been appointed as the CEO of PSL and Nikita Luther, who is India’s top female Poker professional, will take charge as COO for the league.
