Sumit Nagal, Magda Linette star attractions in sixth edition of Tennis Premier League

The sixth edition of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) will commence at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai from December 3 and will run till December 8 this year.

Seven franchises – PBG Pune Jaguars, Bengal Wizards, Punjab Patriots, Hyderabad Strikers, Gujarat Panthers, Mumbai Leon Army and Bengaluru SG Pipers – will be in action in tennis’ franchise-based tournament.

Bengaluru SG Pipers are the defending champions of the TPL.

Top-ranked Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal, France’s Hugo Gaston, Poland’s Magda Linette, who is ranked 41 in the world, and Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan will be the star attractions in the sixth edition of the TPL.

The teams will play men’s singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles and men’s singles matches and each match will have a total of 25 points.

Each franchise will play a total of five matches to make the semifinals. There will be a total of 100 points with each category having 25 points.

The organisers of the TPL gave an insight into the points system. “Each team will play a total of 500 points (100 points and five matches) in the league stage and the top four teams in the points table to qualify for the semifinals,” the organisers said, in a statement.

The organisers have also roped in more than 100 tennis academies, who are affiliated with the TPL, to enhance the sport at the grassroot level. “Over 100 academies have been affiliated with the TPL app from various regions of India. It connects the tennis community across India and allows them to compete with each other and helps the tennis players to track their progress,” the statement added.

The TPL has also announced a tie up with Gujarat State Tennis Association (GSTA), Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) and Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and will conduct district ranking tournaments apart from introducing an own mobile application.