New Delhi: The Indian Open Polo Championship, the oldest trophy at stake on the Indian polo circuit, kicks-off this season with the league rounds at the Jaipur Polo Ground on Wednesday. Three of the top teams in the country, Jindal Panther, Rajnigandha Achievers and Jindal Power are the contenders for the grand finale on Sunday.
The Indian Open is the highest level of polo played in India – the tournament is the only 20-goal tournament in the country – and an Indian player’s career stands incomplete without winning the Indian Polo Championship.
At the 2016 edition, polo aficionados can expect to witness India’s top Indian polo professionals and some international polo stars at the premier tourney, which is also considered as the National Championship for the heritage sport. Expected to saddle up for the snazzy IPA trophy are India’s ace players, Shamsheer Ali (+6), Simran Shergill (+6), Basheer Ali (+5), Dhruvpal Godara (+5), Abhimanyu Pathak (+5), Samir Suhag (+5), and Lt Col Ravi Rathore (+5). This time, the oldest tournament in Indian polo and arguably the oldest running sports trophies in the country, will also witness international polo stars, John Paul Clarkin (+8) of New Zealand and Matias Vial Perez (+6) of Chile.
The tournament will be played on a full league basis, i.e.; each team gets to play with each other. All matches will be played for a result. If two teams finish with the same points after the league rounds, then the team winning its league match against its nearest opponent will prevail. If all the three teams finish with the same points, then the finalists will be decided through – Goal Difference /Goal For /Goal Against (amongst the three teams). The finals will be played between the two best teams on Sunday, November 20.
Presented by the Indian Polo Association (IPA), the Indian Open Trophy is steeped in 115 years of history and heritage, and has enjoyed the patronage of the Indian Army and some of its finest players. This year, the Indian Open Championship is being supported by Incredible India, Panasonic, ONGC, Oil India, Vistara Airlines, Indian Oil Corporation, and the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi.
