File photo of Sumit Nagal.© X (formerly Twitter)
Preparations for a bigger and better edition of the Tennis Premier League are well and truly on, with the league having picked a new venue for its sixth chapter. TPL, one of the most successful sporting leagues in the country, is coming back to Mumbai at the Cricket Club of India, and is scheduled to take place between 3rd - 8th December 2024. Tennis Premier League 2024 to have some of the top names from the world of tennis making their way to India. Among the men, France's Hugo Gaston (World No.61) and the in-form Indian ace Sumit Nagal (World no.74 and India No.1) will be the headline acts, whilst in the women's draw Poland's Magda Linette (World No.41) and Armenian Elina Avanesyan (World No.52) are one amongst the attractions.
After 5 successful seasons, TPL, is hot on the heels of the IPL in terms of fanfare, and brings tennis to the fans, in an entertaining 25-point format.
All the franchises will play a total of 5 matches each to qualify for the semi-finals as the league's revolutionary format captures the imagination of tennis fans. All matches between two franchises will comprise Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Mixed Doubles and Men's Doubles. There will be 100 points at stake in each match between two franchises, where each category would be worth 25 points. Each team will play a total of 500 points (100 points x 5 matches) at the league stage and the top 4 teams in the points table to qualify for the semi-finals.
The franchises battling it out for the top prize are PBG Pune Jaguars, Bengal Wizards, Punjab Patriots, Hyderabad Strikers, Gujarat Panthers, Mumbai Leon Army and defending champions Bengaluru SG Pipers.
Furthermore, TPL also has a keen eye on the grassroots and is eager to ensure that there is a healthy flow of tennis stars in the future. Keeping that in mind, TPL has already tied up with the Gujarat State Tennis Association (GSTA), Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) for conducting district ranking tournaments apart from introducing their own Mobile App last year. Over 100 Academies have been affiliated with TPL App from various regions of India. The TPL App connects the tennis community across India and allows them to compete with each other, and helps the tennis players to track their progress.
Speaking on the occasion, Kunal Thakkur, Co-Founder, Tennis Premier League, said, "Mumbai is the city of dreams and we are delighted to be bringing top notch tennis back to the city with the sixth edition of TPL. The tennis courts at CCI have witnessed some of the most intense Tennis matches in history, and we are quite confident that the players at the TPL will match up to those memories."
"Tennis is one of the most watched sports in the world, and we could not be happier to be associated with an iconic venue such as the CCI. The people of Mumbai are among the best sporting fans in the world, and we are looking forward to a fantastic season, full of well-contested games, and high-octane action," said Mrunal Jain Co-Founder, Tennis Premier League.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)