InBL Pro U25 2025 Early Learnings: How have Indian players performed and will the league help in the long run?

The InBL Pro U25 2025 is the first-ever international basketball league for U25 players in India.

After two weeks and four rounds, the InBL Pro U25 2025 League is in full swing at the Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi. The tournament features six teams with 42 Indian players and 36 internationals from Australia, USA, Mexico and New Zealand. The tournament aims at preparing the new generation of ballers for international competition.

With teams now settled, it is the perfect time to look at what has transpired till now and key storylines from the league.

Note: All the stats discussed here are till the first 12 matches.

1. Possession disparity – are Indian players getting enough time on ball?

INBL Pro U25 2025 was marketed as an opportunity for Indian ballers to be prepared for the international competition However, estimated possession stats indicate that Indian players are not the primary finishers in most possessions. On average, international players have eight more possessions per game, meaning they are more involved when taking shots, grabbing rebounds, or creating assists.

However, having a closer look at all six teams, I see that this is not the case across all of them.

Chennai Heat and Punjab Warriors depend more on their foreign players by leading with 12.45 and 11.93 possessions. For Chennai Heat, the best three players have been Tad Dufelmeier (60 Eff, 39.5 FIC) Shakem Johnson (53 Eff, 34.7 FIC), and Keith Kiner (42 Eff, 25.6 FIC). The best Indian players in the team have been Arvind Kumar and Sejin Mathew who are third and fourth according to FIC for the team.

Uche Dibiamaka (95 Eff, 65 FIC) comes off the bench from the Punjab Warriors because of Gurbaz and Lucas Barker both starting at his position, but he still leads the team in efficiency stats. Stokley Chaffee and Ta’ane Samuel are the other two international players who are second and fourth efficiency wise.

Hyderabad Falcons have the smallest possession disparity (2.5 possessions per game) between their Indian and foreign players. Harsh Dagar, Rishabh Mathur, and Kushal Singh have played exceptionally well, and the team has hit peak chemistry, with both Indian and international players blending seamlessly.

League rules state that two out of five starters must be Indian players, which has simplified Falcons head coach Mark Chivers’ job. He has been able to consistently start Jack Purchase and Alex Robinson Jr. alongside the young Indian talents.

Mumbai Titans have the second-lowest possession disparity in the league, but their top three most efficient players are internationals. However, they also boast one of India’s best young talents, Pranav Prince, who has carried the team’s defensive load. He is the only player in the league to record double digits in both steals (10) and blocks (10). This leads us to other point…

Also Read: InBL Pro U25: Live streaming, TV Channel, where and how to watch?

2. Indian players are slowly making their mark

With the majority of international players and coaches coming from the Australian basketball setup (even the commentators are from the NBL), it was expected that coaches would initially trust the international players more, as they are already familiar with them.

But the Indian players are catching up with the international talent. Be it Pranav Prince’s explosive ability or Gurbaz Singh Sandhu—aka The Human Torch’s—three-point sniping ability, the coaches have slowly started to rely on the Indian contingent to get W’s.

Pratyanshu Tomar’s return was an instant impact for Delhi Dribblers in the seventh match of the league and scored 20 points in 12 minutes taking the heavy load of the Dribbler’s scoring.

Kushal Singh (23 points) and Harsh Dagar (7 assists) made sure Hyderabad Falcons kicked off their campaign on positive note with their two-man game.

Mohan Lokeshwaran also was in stellar form in the first match of the tournament even though he had played the national games final in the morning and travelled on the same day to suit up for Delhi Dribblers.

Tushal Singh has been a bright spot in Gujarat’s campaign with Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi’s inconsistent form and Sahaij Singh Sekhon still recovering his injury.

The players efficiency stats might not be breaking the top 10 overall but looking at the larger trend, seven of the best 15 performances in the have come after the sixth game of the tournament. This trend is just kicking off, if the coaches can give more chances to Indian players, they might get you more wins and also the cup.

Also Read: InBL Pro U25 2025: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

3. Can the league improve India’s chances for FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers?

In the previous FIBA window, more than half the national team was 26 or younger. Traditionally, the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) organises a training camp before qualifiers. However, this time, U25 players are engaged in the INBL Pro U25 League, while senior players are training in Delhi.

This qualifying window is crucial for India, as the team is currently third in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers table and coming off a historic win over Kazakhstan in Chennai. The qualification scenario is clear:

• India must win both games against Iran and Qatar.
• Iran leads the table.
• Qatar handed India a home-court loss earlier in the competition.

Another major concern is player fatigue. Unlike NBA players, who are conditioned to play games every other night, Indian basketball players are still adapting to such rigorous schedules. It takes time to develop the necessary endurance and physical conditioning for this level of competition.

The other worry is with the enormous amount of basketball activity these players have been going through for the last three months. Unlike NBA players who are used to playing almost every fortnight, Indian basketball players are still not there. It’s a process which takes time to build and train body to get ready for this.

The issue is not about doubting players’ ability to show up every day. Rather, it is about preventing injuries, which have plagued Indian players throughout the tournament:

• Sahaij Singh Sekhon has yet to play consistently for Gujarat.
• Pratyanshu Tomar was forced to sit out due to injury.
• Kushal Singh, Harsh Dagar, Baladhaneshwar Poiyamozhi, Arvind Kumar Muthukrishnan, Arvinder Singh Khalon, Jaideep Rathore, and Prashant Singh Rawat have all either played limited minutes or been DNP’d due to injuries or rest days.

We might see some of these players sitting out as they shift their focus to the upcoming Qualifiers.

Also Read: India international Gurbaz Sandhu talks about importance of InBL Pro U25 2025

Final thoughts

The INBL Pro U25 League is proving to be a game-changer for Indian basketball. While possession stats still favour international players, Indian players are gradually proving their worth. The league is also providing valuable game time ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, but player fatigue and injuries remain a major concern.

If properly managed, this league could be the stepping stone India needs to elevate its basketball program at the international level.

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