By सम्राट सिंग 
Pune : The Maharashtra Basketball League will be held in Pune from March 14 to 21 at Rajaram Bhiku Pathare Stadium, Kharadi Gaon, Kharadi, as part of a larger initiative by ACG Sports, which has invested in ABC Basketball Development League Pvt. Ltd. to build India’s first professional youth basketball ecosystem.
The Maharashtra league will feature eight boys’ teams and five girls’ teams, offering young players structured competition and exposure under a franchise-led developmental format.
The ACG–ABC partnership aims to establish a multi-state, long-term basketball development pathway, beginning at the grassroots level and progressing to high-performance levels. Seven developmental youth leagues are planned for 2026 across Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, and Telangana, catering to Under-14 and Under-18 age groups.
Under the initiative, ABC will introduce franchise-owned youth leagues supported by structured training programmes to identify and nurture emerging talent. Players performing consistently may be considered for trials at High Performance Centres operated by ACG, based on evaluation criteria.
Rahul Jha, Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff, ACG, and Anirudh Pole, Director and CEO, ABC Basketball Development League Pvt. Ltd., shared these details at a press conference held at Four Points by Sheraton, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Jha said building a complete athlete pathway was critical for the future of Indian basketball, while Pole said the association would help create a clearer and more connected developmental framework for young players by aligning youth leagues with high-performance training systems.
State basketball associations have welcomed the initiative. Govind Muthu Kumar, Secretary, Maharashtra State Basketball Association, said Maharashtra’s strong basketball culture would benefit from structured opportunities that complement existing development efforts.
PC Antony, secretary of the Kerala Basketball Association; Prudhvi Reddy, secretary of the Telangana Basketball Association; and Mukesh Kalia, president of the Delhi Basketball Association, were present at the press conference.Suniel Shetty and Ranvijay Singha will continue as brand ambassadors for the league. The Basketball League Kerala has already been launched, while leagues in Delhi and Telangana are planned next as part of the 2026 rollout.ACG Sports is a sports management subsidiary of the ACG pharmaceutical group and works with the Basketball Federation of India to strengthen professional leagues and elite training infrastructure.