IOB tames ICF to clinch Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty title

Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) defeated Integral Coach Factory (ICF) 77-50 to clinch the Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty all-India basketball tournament title on Sunday.

IOB players pose with the trophy after their win over ICF in the final of the Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty all-India basketball tournament.

A bigger, faster and stronger Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) defeated Integral Coach Factory (ICF) 77-50 in the final to emerge as the Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty all-India basketball tournament champion, at Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium here on Sunday. IOB’s centres Aravind Annadurai, P. Jeevanantham and Vineeth Mathew dominated their smaller counterparts under the board. Annadurai (23 points), in particular, stood out as a powerhouse player. The 6’7” India international plucked out offensive rebounds with ease and locked shots at the other end. A couple of dunks in the first quarter endeared Annadurai to the crowd. Fellow big man Jeevanantham (14 points) showed deft touch, and the ability the finish tough plays. In Prasanna Venkatesh and G. Sivabalan, IOB boasted of two athletic guards capable of executing terrific fast-breaks. ICF’s hopes rested on P. Vijay (13 points), but the power forward was not the menacing presence seen in earlier encounters. Marked tight, Vijay was pressured into taking poor shots. Point guard G. A. Anto Bethle, whose big scoring numbers earned him the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award, had a quiet outing. IOB received ₹1,00,000, while ICF took home ₹50,000. R. A. Sankara Narayanan, Vijaya Bank CEO and Managing Director, gave away the prizes.  

The results: Final : IOB (Chennai) 77 (Aravind Annadurai 23, P. Jeevanantham 14) bt ICF 50 (P. Vijay 13, K. Mukunth 10). Third-place playoff : Vijaya Bank 81 (S. Karthickeyan 21, Anil Kumar 15) bt Chennai Custms 76 (Justin 27, Hari Ram 23) (Vijaya bank received ₹25,000; Chennai Customs received ₹10,000). Individual awards: Most popular player: Justin (Chennai Customs) Most promising player: Navin Raj (Vijaya bank) Best defender: Aravind Annadurai (IOB, Chennai) Player of the tournament: G.A. Anto Bethle (ICF)