Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra all set to launch second edition of the Match IPL

Disbanded owners of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra are all set to launch the second edition of the Match Indian Poker League (Match IPL), to be held on March 31, 2018, in Kolkata. After the success of the inaugural Match Indian Poker League season, where seven teams had competed against each another for a total prize pool of Rs. 2.5 crores, Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s Viaan Industries Ltd, has added three more franchisees to their league. An added incentive is that the winner would represent Team India at the Match Poker Asian Nations Cup to be held later this year.

Raj Kundra was banished from any cricketing activity along with Chennai Super Kings team official Gurunath Meiyappan. The duo was found guilty of indulging in betting by the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha committee. Subsequently, both the franchises were ordered to serve a 2-year ban.

However, the ban did not stop Kundra from experimenting in other sports. Speaking on his new endeavor, Raj Kundra, Chairman and Managing Director of Viaan Industries said, “With more than a million players estimated to be playing this mind sport, we envisage a huge growth for the industry going ahead. India is one of the fastest growing online poker markets in Asia. With the industry size at $120 mn already, the industry is estimated to have grown by high double digits over the last few years.’

Tournament details

The ten teams that will fight for the coveted title and a lucrative prize money are-Ahmedabad Hearts, Bangalore Royals, Delhi Aces, Goa Lions, Haryana Hawks, Jaipur Jewels, Kolkata Diamonds, Mumbai All-Stars, Pune Kings and UP Indians.

The winners of the mega-event will receive a whopping INR. 40,00,000, while the runners-up will get INR 25,00,000. The third and fourth places will receive amounts of INR 20,00,000 and INR 15,00,000 respectively.

The league is also affiliated with the International Federation of Match Poker and allows the winning team of the tournament to represent team India in international poker leagues.

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