Rajasthan will take on Kolkata in PGTI’s 72 The League opener

72 The League brand ambassador Arjun Atwal (centre) with team captains (from left) Saptak Talwar (Mumbai Aces), Viraj Madappa (Kolkata Classics), Shaurya Bhattacharya (UP Prometheans), Amardeep Malik (Nava Raipur), N. Thangaraja (Charminar Champions) and Ajeetesh Sandhu (Rajasthan Regals) during the Classic GCC on Monday.

By Rahul Banerji

Rajasthan Regals will take on the Kolkata Classics in the opening match of the PGTI’s 72 The League at the Classic Golf and Country Club near Manesar on Tuesday.

In the other two first round matches, Charminar Champions from Hyderabad will take on UP Prometheans from Noida, while Mumbai Aces will take on Nava Raipur.

The order of play was established in a tie on Monday in the presence of Arjun Atwal, the only Indian to win on the PGA Tour and brand ambassador of the League, and the six captains.

Ajeetesh Sandhu will lead the Regals against Viraj Madappa’s Classics in Tuesday’s opening set, spread over two singles, two fourballs and a foursomes.

Captains will name their player members in the morning prior to tee-off. Each team fields eight players per set of matches.

The matches start at 12 noon and the pairs will be determined after the captains submit their eight names for each format during the round. The remaining two players will sit on the bench as reserves.

Event format

Unlike the Ryder Cup or the Presidents Cup, the competition will feature two singles, two fourballs and a foursome match in each round.

Fourballs involve all four balls (two on each side) in each match with the lowest score of the four winning the hole.

In foursomes or alternative ball, two players from each team play with one ball and alternately take shots. It is widely considered one of the most difficult formats in the game.

Teams played a practice round at the Jack Nicklaus-designed venue, with most partners and formats switching regularly to find the best possible combinations when the matches begin.

Sandhu leads a strong Rajasthan team featuring the experienced Chikkarangappa S., a long-hitting Yuvraj Singh, the aggressive Akshay Sharma and the Italian Michele Ortolani.

Madappa’s Kolkata have a lot of experience in the form of Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Angad Cheema and the veteran Mukesh Kumar.

Asked how his team planned to take on Kolkata, Sandhu said: “I think it should be a great match.

Key areas

“They have a very experienced team with a lot of winners, so they can certainly handle the pressure of match play, and I think that will be our main focus if we want to counter that.

“We are a very balanced team. We will go through the strategy of who our players are, who feels good about their game, and then choose the order of play for tomorrow.”

Madappa added: “Rajasthan is a very strong team and they have a lot of depth.

“But we also have the experience, and I think for us it’s more about making sure the pairs have good chemistry. That will be very important, and also how we complement each other’s play.”

Representing Mumbai in the absence of Veer Ahlawat, who hails from Kenya, Saptak Talwar said his team would look to feed off the energy of two of the youngest players in the field – Kartik Singh (16) and Pritish Singh Karayat (17).

“We have a very experienced and very strong team. But we also have the two youngest players in the League, so we are excited about the firepower and the energy they can bring.”

Test time

“We tried a lot of different combinations, a lot of different strategies out there today. I liked what I saw, and I believe the team was on the same page as well,” Talwar said.

Amardip Malik said his Nava Raipur team, which is the current PGTI Order of Merit No. 1 and 2 in Honey Baisoya and American Jhared Hack would focus their strategy on the foursomes.

“For us, the foursomes are the most interesting aspect. Most of our team, and I’m sure everyone else, are very used to the fourball format.

“I think foursomes is something that no one has ever played, not even in practice.

“We believe that the alternative shot format, which also yields three points, will be very important. So we will ensure that our combination earns us those points.”

Also read: Glitzy start to PGTI’s 72 The League, the action starts on Tuesday

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