Twenty-two teams, including defending champions Goregaon Sports Club, will be vying for top honours in the prestigious Motiram Club (for men), Ullal Cup (women)and Kanji Memorial Cup (for juniors) Inter-Club badminton tournament, to be hosted by NSCI at their new badminton courts from 6th August 2019 .
Aparna Popat
The prestigious tournament which is in its 29th edition is hosted by The National Sports Club of India, under the aegis of Greater Mumbai Badminton Association and promoted by Badminton Gurukul. Some of the top state players like Aparna Popat(Ullal Cup), Nigel D’sa(Motiram Cup), Viplav Kuvale(Motiram Cup), Taarini Suri (Kanji Cup), Shubham Pal (Kanji Cup) will be seen in action during the week-long tournament. Some of the top state players like Aparna Popat(Ullal Cup), Nigel D’sa(Motiram Cup), Viplav Kuvale(Motiram Cup), Taarini Suri (Kanji Cup), Shubham Pal (Kanji Cup) will be seen in action during the week-long tournament.
Nigel D’sa
Pradeep Iyangar, Hon. President, GMBA emphasised the importance of the tournament and said “Motiram, Ullal and Kanji Memorial Cup is a trendsetter in the badminton playing community of Mumbai. It is the first and most prestigious Inter-Club Badminton Tournament to be held in Mumbai. This tournament aims to bring the Badminton community in our clubs closer and help fuel the spirit of competition and sportsmanship amongst all teams.”
The tournament will be played in a knockout format, Motiram & Ullal cup will be played in best of 3 formats with two doubles and one single match while the Kanji Cup will have U-15 Boy’s & Girls singles, U-19 Boy’s and Girls doubles and U-19 mixed doubles categories. Apart from Goregaon Sports Club, prestigious clubs like the Cricket Club of India hosts NSCI, Khar Gymkhana, Bombay Gymkhana and P.J Hindu Gymkhana among others will be participating in the tournament.
Supriya Devgun, Founder & Managing Director, Badminton Gurukul said, “Badminton Gurukul is very happy to help promote the Motiram, Ullal and Kanji Memorial Cup 2019. This tournament brings together the entire club badminton playing community of Mumbai. The three categories in the tournament, i.e., Men’s, Women’s and Junior’s ensure we spread the game of badminton across all age groups. Badminton Gurukul remains committed to ensuring a sustained long term growth by raising the profile of the sport.”
When asked about hosting the tournament, Vijay Advani Hon. Reg. Secretary, NSCI said, “NSCI being chosen as the venue for the Motiram, Ullal & Kanji Memorial Cup 2019 is definitely the right choice made by the Greater Mumbai Badminton Association and it’s indeed a proud moment for us to host this prestigious tournament.”