Last Updated:
Six teams — Chennai Heat, Delhi Dribblers, Gujarat Stallions, Mumbai Titans, Punjab Warriors, Hyderabad Falcons — shall take to the court over the upcoming month to battle it out for bragging rights.

InBL Pro U25 Season 1 kicked off with Delhi Dribblers defeating Mumbai Titans in thrilling opening contest (InBL Media)
Intending to host the 2036 Olympics in mind, India has witnessed multiple sports taking the spotlight in recent times, with Kho Kho being the latest to take center stage with the Kho Kho World Cup in January.
Well, it’s now time for basketball to shine, as the first season of the Indian National Basketball League (InBL) Pro U25 kicked off in New Delhi on Sunday.
Having come into existence back in 2021, the InBL took various forms through the years to finally now be inaugurated yet again as the InBL Pro U25 Season 1 with six teams comprising youth and college players under the age of 25.
The main aim of relaunching the tournament was to highlight and provide a structure for the game of basketball to inspire newer generations of players to build on their abilities.
Basketball isn’t new to India. In fact, missionaries introduced the game in 1930 and soon found a place in schools and colleges. Forming the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in 1950 marked a significant step toward organizing and promoting the sport. India first participated in an international basketball event at the 1951 Asian Games and later in the FIBA Asia Championship.
India has even enjoyed mediocre success in the game on the international stage, including winning medals at the South Asian Games, the FIBA Asia Cup, and the Lusofonia Games.
But, what has been the Achilles heel for the game was a lack of infrastructure from the grassroots level to foster the growth of the game. With just the national championships and the Federation Cup as only two major domestic meets in a year, Indian players also found it hard to keep pace with an ever-developing sport. This was reflected in the drastic drop in FIBA rankings as India went from 50th in the World in 2010 to 82nd as of 2024, as the Indian men’s team has shown a steep decline of 32 spots. This translates to a whopping 64% drop in approximately 15 years.
To counteract the same, and provide an infrastructure for the growing game, the InBL has been inaugurated yet again, with the sole aim of helping Indian basketball find its footing again.
By bringing in coaches and players from across the globe – from countries including Australia, USA, and New Zealand – the InBL has been reignited to foster young talent under the age of 25, and helping them do so by playing alongside international players.
Six teams — Chennai Heat, Delhi Dribblers, Gujarat Stallions, Mumbai Titans, Punjab Warriors, Hyderabad Falcons — shall take to the court over the upcoming month to battle it out for bragging rights.
But tonight, the festivities kicked off with two local rivals – Delhi and Mumbai – taking on each other in the tournament opener.
Delhi started off the scoring, taking a slender lead out the gate to set the tone. But, Mumbai would find their stride, driving into the lane with purpose, to get going with the scoring.
The Titans would utilise their superior strength in the paint to draw easy fouls, helping them to keep their scores ticking. Both teams, anchored by by timely drives and three-balls, kept themselves in the contest as the first quarter drew to a close 20-19 end, in favour of the Titans.
There would be no differentiating the two sides, now rejuvenated after getting the initial nerves out, as some quality defending coupled with a fearless attack of the paint ensured that the sides were level-pegging at the halfway mark with the scores at 45-45.
A barrage of threes from both sides and a physical contest would ensue, as there seemed to be nothing to separate the two till the last quarter.
The heightened pace of play of the Dribblers led to confusion as well, with flashy passes finding the opposition during fast breaks. Mumbai, on the other hand, stuck to their fundamentals, generating space for the shooters with effective screens, while their rim-attackers kept the tempo up when needed.
But, with five minutes left on the clock, the tables turned as Delhi amped up their defense, denying the Titans anywhere near the paint, forcing them to take ugly looks from outside the three-point line that found the net scarcely.
Led by Barker, Delhi eked out a 5-point lead with 2 minutes on the clock: one that the home side would hold on to, despite Lamar Patterson’s scoring barrage for Mumbai, to secure the 93-85 win and kick off the tournament on a high.
Whether the league will lead to the development of talent in the short term is yet to be seen. But, it seems as if the doors for a future in the game of basketball may have just opened up a little bit more for yearning Indians. And that is what matters in the bigger picture.
“At the end of the day, you cannot become what you cannot see,” stated Delhi Dribblers Head Coach, David Petrozallo in an exclusive conversation with News18 Sports.
“The ability to see, to feel and to experience is everything. No matter what the outcomes of the games are, it changes the narrative around what the game can be in the lives of a young player, both male and female, in India. To me, that’s a wonderful thing,” he added.
“So no matter what, the opportunity to demonstrate that if one person here can do this then so can anyone else watching them, that is a beautiful thing.”