Cuesport is all set to join the franchise-based league bandwagon as the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India is contemplating to start an IPl-like tournament this year. BSFI president Captain PVK Mohan on Tuesday said the details were being worked out for the Cue Masters league and the International Management Group, which successfully conducted the Indian Super league football with Reliance, was working on its modalities.
“We hope to finalise everything after the second edition of the Indian Open gets over in Mumbai (March 10-14). It's still in the nascent stage,” Mohan told reporters on the sidelines of the Senior National Billiards and Snooker Championship at the Bengal Rowing Club. The Cue Masters league will have six franchise teams including one in Kolkata and the BSFI is mulling which of the three formats — billiards, snooker and pool — would feature in the inaugural edition.
Mohan, who is also the International Billiards and Snooker Federation president, said they're also planning for an Asian Players' Tour Championship in snooker in five countries. “Exciting days are ahead for cue sport. The players from Asian countries had to stay in UK for long to pursue professional snooker. But with the Asian Tour things will change,” Mohan said. The Tour event will start in UAE and then travel to held India, followed by Singapore and Thailand while the IBSF is yet to decide on the fifth country. IBSF is also trying to make cue sport a category in the next Asian Games.