Exclusive: BFI President Aadhav Arjuna talks about his ambitious attempt to transform basketball in India

Basketball action got completed with the conclusion of Senior Nationals this year.

As the year 2023 draws to a close, Indian basketball appears to be on the brink of a significant metamorphosis. The newly instated leadership under Aadhav Arjuna is seemingly in the process of finding its footing.

In the course of the Senior National Basketball Championships 2023, Arjuna engaged in a conversation with Khel Now, shedding light on the present scenario of basketball and his strategies for its advancement.

KhelNow (KN): First of all, congratulations on being elected as the new BFI President. Can we expect quick actions from you in terms of developing the game as you have completed six months in office?

Aadhav Arjuna (AA): Our federation lacked financial stability six months ago. When I became the leader, we had only Rs. 17 lakhs in our account. That is not enough for such a large country. India loves basketball, but it is not organized or professional. We do not have a common code, training programs, leagues or events.

KN: You inherited some conflicts among the associations, especially in Maharashtra. BFI wants to establish an office in Mumbai and reconcile with Maharashtra to form a team. How difficult was it to negotiate with both sides and reach a consensus?

AA: Maharashtra has a lot of corporate influence. It has been very influential. But, the state had many problems in the last decade, so I visited there. Jharkhand also had some issues before, but they were resolved. Haryana has an administrator appointed by the court right now. We will fix it in six months for sure.

Maharashtra’s problem is almost solved. The High Court ruled that BFI’s decision is final. The Maharashtra Basketball Association is an old association of 70 years. The new body somehow nullified the old one because of the registration certificate. Many Indian and state players came from the old one. The new association was only for a year. It was just nominal and on paper.

The old one is the right administration and BFI will talk to them. BFI will tell the old association to sort out the new election process and we are willing to appoint a retired High Court judge for impartial and fair elections. This will help form an association with democratically elected administrations and it will be a clean one.

KN: Numerous private entities and individuals are entering the field, aiming to expand their presence through streaming or personal statistics. However, for those who wish to broadcast these games and connect with a large audience, are there any strategies in place to integrate them into the system and consequently, contribute to the growth of the game?

AA: During the integration process, we launched dashboards and websites, enabling every player to register. We understand that without data, victory is unattainable. We’re in the process of establishing a new team and headquarters in Delhi for a data analytics team, aiming to revolutionize the game professionally. Our work is grounded in data and data analytics, as we believe that sports science is fundamentally mathematical.

As for broadcasting, BFI is independently telecasting and we have also partnered with Fancode. We are not charging any fees because we want the game to be accessible to all. Previously, we only permitted broadcasting on the BFI page, but now we are open to discussions with anyone willing to broadcast, intending to spread the game far and wide.

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