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The much-awaited big day is finally here with the City of Joy now bustling with poker players who have come down to the city for the Match Indian Poker League (MIPL) Season 2 grand finale.
The one-of-a-kind league backed by Raj Kundra and Bollywood celebrity and multi-talented Shilpa Shetty Kundra promoted Viaan Industries Limited and Switzerland-based International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP) made a smashing debut last year with Harman Baweja’s Team Mumbai All Stars taking top honors in Season 1.
After introducing Teams Haryana Hawks, Up Indians, Pune Kings, Goa Lions, Mumbai All Stars and Jaipur Jewels in our previous reports, here we bring you the team line-ups for Delhi Aces, Kolkata Diamonds, Ahmedabad Hearts and Bangalore Royals.
Founded and owned by young and enthusiastic poker loving entrepreneurs, Delhi Aces is a culmination of their enthusiasm for the game. Their collective goal is to live up to their team motto, “Fortune favours the bold”! Like their own personalities, they expect the Delhi Aces to play aggressive but smart poker where winning is the ultimate goal.
Delhi Aces Owners
Abhishek Khaitan – Khaitan is an entrepreneur & business owner of Radico Khaitan Ltd. Khaitan is recognized as an innovator extraordinaire who has thrived in the Indian Liquor space where giants have fallen.
Rajnish Gupta – Gupta aka “The Zambian Lion” has built many businesses including a very successful bottling and distribution enterprise for Pepsi Co.
Rajat Sikka – Sikka of Saivana Exports is a top first generation Indian manufacturer, exporter of very high fashion women’s clothing to some of the leading fashion houses in Paris and New York. The fashion ramps in both these cities are dominated by clothes made by Saivana.
Shantanu Dalmia – Dalmia is the scion of Casewell Drilling and he has been very active in the sports start-up space as well. A sharp poker player himself, his self-made company is an acclaimed brand in the international oil drilling business.
Ankur Sachdeva – Sachdeva is an acclaimed professional from the alcoholic beverage industry and he will be looking to leverage his team management skills to propel Delhi Aces to new heights this season.
Team Delhi Aces
1. Ankur Sachdeva
2. Avadh Shah
3. Rohit Behal
4. Kunal Chandra
5. Devesh Thapar
6. Raghav Singh
7. Simrit Tiwana
8. Niharika Bindra
The home team for Season 2 – Kolkata Diamonds is owned by poker enthusiasts and renowned entrepreneurs. The team is owned by Sunny Karira & Deepak Keswani of The Park Street Privilege Club in Kolkata.
Kolkata Diamonds Owners
Sunnny Karira – Karira is a poker enthusiast himself and developed a keen interest in the mind sport over time. He was drawn to the relationship between lifestyle and poker and has travelled extensively in the quest to understand the nuances of the game. He believes that poker is one of the more refined forms of recreation.
Deepak Keswani – Keswani is the Director at United Roads Construction Pvt. Ltd & Wintage Infra Pvt. Ltd and has played over hundreds of thousands of poker hands over the last couple of years. He realized that poker enhances ones psychological, mathematical and emotional skills and is an avid fan of the mind sport.
Team Kolkata Diamonds
1. Aditya Goenka
2. Anil Adiani
3. Ankit Chopra
4. Ankit Doogar
5. Minnie
6. Rohan Singh
7. Rohit Jain
8. Rohit Tiwari
Team Ahmedabad Hearts
Team Ahmedabad Hearts is owned by Yatin Gupta who runs a highly successful logistics company – Network Transport Corporation Ltd.
Gupta is one-part businessman, one-part restaurateur, part globetrotter and a very passionate poker player, which was also the sole reason why he made a business savvy decision to become the proud owner of Team Ahmedabad Hearts.
Team Ahmedabad Hearts were the second runner-up finishers in Season 1.
Team Ahmedabad Hearts
1. Yatin Gupta
2. Ryan Tham
3. Viral Parekh
4. Rahul Shetty
5. Sajjad Meherally
6. Aditya Shetty
7. Rina Gupta
8. Prateek Bhagchandka
Team Bangalore Royals
Team Bangalore Royals is owned by the dynamic Gaurav Kapur who belongs to the family that founded India’s fourth largest private sector bank – Yes Bank. Kapur is a poker enthusiast and is currently involved in the real estate sector building luxury villas through his company Woodlands Housing Private Limited.
Team Bangalore Royals
1. Maria Kirloskar
2. Madhav Gupta
3. Pranav Bhatija
4. Sumil
5. Gaurav
6. Mohak
Keep following all the updates from Match IPL Season 2 right here on PokerGuru!