Hyderabad: The Telangana Pro Basketball League (TPBL), the first professional basketball league of its kind in the state and only the second official state-level professional basketball league in India, concluded on Wednesday night at Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy Stadium in Yousufguda.
The eight-day league—often referred to as the IPL of Telangana Basketball—began on December 16 with six teams competing for the inaugural title. The thrilling final saw the Hyderabad Honey Badgers defeat the Nizam Nawabs by seven points (70–63) in a nail-biting contest.
The champions walked away with a prize purse of ₹20 lakh, along with an MVP award featuring a Yamaha R15 motorcycle.
The closing ceremony was graced by Ms Sabitha Indira Reddy, who presented the championship trophy to the Hyderabad Honey Badgers. Addressing the gathering, she said it was a moment of great pride for Telangana that such a pioneering professional basketball league had been successfully conducted in the state. She appreciated the Telangana Basketball Association for organising the league on such a grand scale, noting that it has set a new benchmark and significantly contributed to the promotion of basketball. She also mentioned that Mr K.T. Rama Rao, who was scheduled to attend, could not do so as he was away from the city.
