Tennis Premier League 2019: Here's a look at the teams and players

It will no longer be fair to call India a country whose attention is prejudiced and relegated towards simply cricket and football. Tennis has always lurked behind the shadows but over the past few years, the light has finally illuminated this sport in our country as well. The quickest way to gain popularity while seeking out fresh talent from every nook and cranny of the country is to start a league. Taking inspiration from that idea, the second edition of the Tennis Premier League is about to take place from December 12 - December 15 in the Celebration Sports Club, Andheri, Mumbai.

The first season had opened big and attracted players from far and wide, assimilating under one roof, budding tennis talents of the nation. In an effort to continue the tradition, the second season will host 88 players who have been divided into eight teams that will compete against each other in the four-day affair.

The highlight of the event obviously rests on the top players in the tennis circuit currently who hails from India. There is a fine mix of experience and amateur talent in the milieu with seasoned players like Arjun Kadhe and Ankita Raina and Somdev Devvarman being in teams that also have under-18 talents. The special thing about Tennis Premier League is that it also focuses on wheelchair tennis and there is an exclusive category for that in the league.

The junior boys and girls for the tournament will be selected following exciting talent hunts in four cities-Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai. These talent hunts are scheduled to take place on October 20 (Ahmedabad), October 23 (Mumbai), November 3 (Hyderabad) and November 10 (Delhi). There are 8 teams in all which have a total of 88 players in total. The teams are Bengaluru Hawks, Chennai Stallions, Delhi Binny's Brigade, Finecab Hyderabad Strikers, Gujarat Panthers, Mumbai Leon Army, Pune Warriors, and Punjab Bulls.

The total prize money of this tournament is Rs 60 lakh and that has garnered the attention of the top players. While Gujarat Panthers have Somdev Devvarman as their star player, the Delhi Binny's Bridgade has Ankita Raina in the limelight, things will be exciting come December. Leander Paes, who has been associated with the tournament since its inception last year hopes that this league sets a positive trend for tennis in the country's future.

The auction has been concluded and naturally, the top players have been billed the highest with 2.25 lakhs being their highest bid for several male players while the female brigade saw 1.5 lakhs being their highest auction price. Among the men, Saketh Myneni (Delhi Binny's Brigade), Somdev Devvarman (Gujarat Panthers), Vishnu Vardhan (Bengaluru Hawks), Purav Raja (Pune Warriors) were auctioned at 2.25 lakhs owing to their experience in the world of tennis. On the other hand, Ankita Raina (Delhi Binny's Brigade'), Pranjala Yedlapalli (Punjab Bulls) and Rutuja Bhosale (Pune Warriors), all fetched 1.5 lakhs each in the bid.

The league is a blessing in disguise for the sport of tennis in the country and as Leander Paes hopes, this could become a positive and steady platform for the growth of Indian tennis. There has been much encouragement shown towards the youngsters from the U-18 and U-14 categories as well as the wheelchair participants. The second edition of the Tennis Premier League is all set to be a roaring success and will hope to spread the passion for tennis, come this December.