Kothari bats for Cue Masters League

Mumbai, August 10: The inaugural Indian Cue Masters League, will change the sport's perception in India, says ace cueist Saurav Kothari.

Kolkata-based Kothari is part of the Gujarat Kings, which will compete in the league commencing from August 19 in Ahmedabad.

It will be telecast live on Sony ESPN.

"In our sport, there are lot of players who are at the threshold of breaking out in the big league, but they can't make it. These players will now get an access to playing with the top players of the country and some of the top players of the world. It is going to help change perception of the people (about the sport)," said Kothari.

The league has five sides in it, with five players in each team. It is to be played on a round robin cum knock-out format. Each tie will consist of five matches with three 6-Red snooker and two 9-Ball pool matches per tie.

Pankaj leads star cast in Cue Masters League

Citing the example of Kabaddi, Kothari feels the moment any sport comes on television, its dynamics change.

"The moment your sport comes on television, it just changes the whole dynamics. It is going to help a lot in changing the perception of people of snooker being a vibrant career option," he said.

According to him, the league was the need of the hour as all sports were coming into the "Indian Premier League bandwagon".

"When the sport evolves, we are all going to benefit. Our sport is at an established level. We are looking at good times for billiards and snookers," added Kothari.

Gujarat Kings is owned by Padmanabh Sports Pvt Ltd. Ashish Shah, the chairman and managing director of Padmanabh Industries, expressed satisfaction over his team competing in the league.