India had hosted “Cue Slam”- a franchise-based league in 2017 and prolific cueist Pankaj Advani believes a similar televised league would help in the growth of snooker and billiards in the country.
Pankaj Advani is a 21-time World Champion. He shared his opinion on the statement whether people in this country are informed about billiards and snookers. He stressed on television as a medium to popularize a sport. He said, “There has to be enough opportunity for players to make a living out of it and to have sort of tournaments at big venues where people are invited to attend and witness sport at the highest level.”
He added more, “but the main thing- the need of the hour is to have a (franchise-based) league, which is televised and that is where I feel you (the media) should be asking this question to BSFI Secretary Devendra Joshi..”
The inauguration edition of the league- Cue Slam—took place in 2017, but since then it hasn’t taken place again.
Pankaj Advani is ardently working to propagate the game. He said, “You need to ask them (BSFI) what happened (about it). I want to see the sport grow which is why I am doing something with a friend in Bangalore when I am taking the game to the schools.”
He concluded, “I think it is possible. If you have eight teams of five players each, it can be done. Let’s not forget, id we are doing a league, we are not going to have only Indian players but foreign players and then the quality automatically goes up. We have that many numbers of players to have 8 good teams.”
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
