“The matches were originally scheduled to be held at Kirpalsagar Academy, Rahon, but persistent waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall forced us to shift the venue,” said Punjab Basketball Academy general secretary Teja Singh Dhaliwal Published on: Aug 1, 2026, 08:18:31 IST By HT Correspondent, Ludhiana Prefer HTon Google Share via Copy link The sub-junior Punjab state basketball championship began at Guru Nanak Stadium on Friday even as one of the venue’s two indoor basketball courts remained under repair, less than a year after the facility was inaugurated.
The championship was shifted to Guru Nanak Stadium after the original venue became waterlogged following recent heavy rain.
“The matches were originally scheduled to be held at Kirpalsagar Academy, Rahon, but persistent waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall forced us to shift the venue,” said Punjab Basketball Academy general secretary Teja Singh Dhaliwal.
Players competed on one court while repair work continued on the other after defects emerged in the imported maple wooden flooring, once again raising questions over the quality of construction of the indoor stadium.
The project, initially approved at ₹11.26 crore and later revised to around ₹14.38 crore following design changes and additional works, was awarded in January 2023.
Construction began in March 2023 and was scheduled for completion by July that year.
However, repeated delays meant the facility was completed only in 2025.
Dhaliwal had earlier sought an independent inquiry, alleging that the base beneath the maple flooring was not constructed properly, resulting in defects soon after the stadium became operational.
Municipal commissioner Ojasvi Alankar had said the original vendor had been directed to rectify the defects.
According to the MC chief, repairs to the first court are expected to be completed within 10 days, following which work on the second court will begin and is likely to take about a month.
Despite the ongoing repair work, the opening day’s matches were held as scheduled.
In the girls’ section, Patiala defeated Ludhiana 36-10 before registering another 36-10 victory over Kapurthala.
Jalandhar beat Sangrur 23-11, Faridkot defeated Ropar 16-10, Mohali outplayed Jalandhar 24-4, Bathinda defeated Gurdaspur 22-8, and Ludhiana Basketball Academy routed Faridkot 44-15.
In the boys’ section, Ludhiana defeated Kapurthala 55-17, Bathinda thrashed Gurdaspur 93-19, Patiala edged Sangrur 41-35, Bathinda defeated Jalandhar 49-39, Mohali overcame Ludhiana 35-31, Muktsar defeated Amritsar 33-21, and Ludhiana Basketball Academy beat Muktsar 54-16.
The championship was inaugurated by District Basketball Association president JP Singh and vice-president Vijay Chopra in the presence of coaches Jaspreet Singh, Ravinder, Jaipal Singh, Saloni and Veerpal Singh Dhillon.
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