Delhi Divas crowned as Women’s Champions of BFI’s 3X3 Pro Basketball League
- Former Indian team captain Raspreet Sidhu leads Delhi Divas to 17-14 finals victory over defending champions Kochi Stars to clinch the 3BL Women’s League title
- Raspreet Sidhu named Most Valuable Player (MVP)
- The winning team gets an all-expenses paid trip to participate in the first ever ASEAN Basketball League 3×3 Cup 2022 in Bali, Indonesia
- The Men’s knockouts will take place from 4pm today i.e. 21st March
- Watch 3BL live on Sony LIV and 3BL Youtube Channel
Chandigarh, 21st March 2022: Indian national team player Raspreet Sidhu-led Delhi Divas have been crowned champions of the 3BL Women’s League 2022. ‘3BL’, the only 3X3 Professional Basketball League in India is backed by the Basketball Federation of India and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). Sidhu was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). The third season of 3BL is being played at the Hotel Wyndham Chandigarh Mohali from 8th – 21st March 2022 and is seeing participation from top national and international men’s and women’s 3X3 basketball players.
Delhi & Kochi face off in the finals again
The two favourites in the competition – defending champions Kochi Stars (starring 6ft 1’’ Indian team centre Stephy Nixon) and Delhi Divas (helmed by former Indian team captain Raspreet Sidhu) – faced off in the finals as expected.
Coming into the finale Round 6, these teams (Delhi – 3; Kochi – 2) had won all five preliminary round titles between them.
The Kochi-Delhi rivalry has been the key storyline in the Women’s League so far, with their head-to-head results locked at 3-3.
The finals expectedly saw a clash of contrasting styles, with Stars reliant on controlling the paint through Nixon, while Divas showcased their all-round game led by a pestering defence. After a scrappy first few minutes, the decisive moment came with the scores tied at 7-7. Delhi wrested control of the pace of the game, succeeding in forcing Kochi into playing a faster tempo. In the process Delhi built up a four point 11-7 lead which they never relinquished, for a hard fought 17-14 victory.
“3BL is what India needs,” Raspreet Sidhu
For her overall performance, Sidhu was named the Most Valuable Player of the finals.
“I have no words. It is such an emotional moment. Last two years have been tough on all of us, but it was toughest for me….[because] I think I was giving up. To be a leader, it’s not easy, but to be believed a leader by your team is the most difficult thing, and I think they [my teammates] are my leaders,” an emotional Sidhu said after receiving the MVP award. “On behalf of all the players here from the Women’s League, I take the opportunity to thank [3BL Commissioner] Mr Rohit Bakshi & Ms Prerna Sharma Bakshi [3BL Director] to give all the young girls a platform. This [3BL] is what India needs. We need a stage to showcase our talent.”
“We have six teams now [in the Women’s League], we will have twelve teams in the next season,” Ms Prerna Sharma, 3BL Director, highlighted during the post game ceremony.
3BL Women’s Champion team to participate in Asian 3×3 Tournament
By virtue of being the 3BL Women’s League Champion team, Delhi Divas has been selected represent India in the first-ever ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) 3×3 Cup 2022 to be held in Bali, Indonesia on 16-17 April. The ABL 3×3 Cup is classified as a FIBA ‘Lite Quest’ competition that in turn serves as a qualifying tournament for a FIBA ‘Challenger’ event.
Finale Round 6 {Women’s League} Results
| Finals Delhi Divas bt Kochi Stars 17-14 |
| SemifinalsKochi Stars bt Jaipur Regals 21-13 Delhi Divas bt Ludhiana Queens 22-14 |
All results, team lists, pools and schedule can be accessed on the FIBA 3×3 website.
About 3×3 Pro Basketball League (‘3BL’) Season 3
3BL is India’s only Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and International Basketball Federation (FIBA) backed 3×3 Pro Basketball League. The third season of the League is underway in Chandigarh, between 8-21 March 2022, and will take place over six two-day rounds.
Besides the chance to win each round, top teams also get the exclusive opportunity to compete at FIBA 3×3’s international circuit such as Challengers and World Tours.
‘3BL’ is an intellectual property of YKBK Enterprise Pvt. Ltd, under the leadership of Mr Rohit Bakshi (who is also the League Commissioner) and Mrs Prerna Sharma (3BL Director).
More information at www.3x3bl.com
Follow 3BL on social media:
About 3×3 Basketball
Akin to the T20 version of cricket, 3×3 basketball is one of the fastest growing urban sports in the world.
Compared to traditional 5×5:
- 3×3 needs only a half-court and six players.
- It’s a 10-minute game.
- Highest score in 10 minutes or first team to score 21 points wins.
- Three-pointers are awarded two points, and two-pointers are awarded 1 point.
3×3 is not only FIBA’s second official discipline but was played for the first time at the Tokyo 2021Olympics, and will also be included in the Commonwealth Games – Birmingham 2022, Asian Games 2022 and the Paris 2024 Olympics.
FIBA 3×3 Video for more details: FIBA 3×3
