‘Ready to compete on the court’: Vipul Kumar of Hyderabad Black Hawks & Colton Cowell of Kochi Blue Spikers.

With the RuPay Prime Volleyball League just around the corner, the Hyderabad Black Hawks and Kochi Blue Spikers are fully prepared to kick off India’s volleyball revolution. The opening match will take place on Saturday, February 5, 2022, at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.

Speaking during a virtual press conference on Friday, Hyderabad Black Hawks Captain & Setter Vipul Kumar said, “We are completely prepared for the tournament. We will get a chance to showcase all the strategies and the plans we have made with our Head Coach Ruben Wolochin on the first day of the tournament itself. We are really excited to play the competition. The fans will also get to watch good volleyball action. I feel this tournament will really help in growing the sport of volleyball in India.”

The Kochi Blue Spikers Attacker Colton Cowell expressed that his team is also ready to compete on the court, “I feel very blessed to be given this opportunity of playing in this tournament. The RuPay Prime Volleyball League is certainly exciting. It’s the beginning of a journey for many Indian players and international players like myself to grow the sport of volleyball and the help the sport gain exposure. The level of the team’s practice has been very high, and we have carried out efficient training programs. We are prepared to step on the court and compete.”

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League CEO Joy Bhattacharya, who was also in attendance during the virtual press conference, expressed that he is looking forward to the tournament, “The quality of the competition is going to be absolutely fantastic. I am really excited and delighted that we have come so far. I am looking forward to a really exciting tournament. The RuPay Prime Volleyball League is trying to grow a game which is really popular worldwide, easy to play with in limited areas and which already has a great base in India. This is the opportunity to get the game really going in India. This is a journey not just for volleyball, but also for Indian sport.”

Television presenter, commentator & former Turkish Volleyball player Başak Koç, who was in attendance during the virtual press conference said that the RuPay Prime Volleyball League is an opportunity for her to represent her own country, “I am really excited, and I am looking forward to the volleyball festival. Last week, I was in Istanbul (Turkey) and now I am here in India. Many foreign players have also flown in from their respective locations. This is an opportunity for us to represent our country. And we will try to add something from our end to the Indian volleyball circuit.”

The Hyderabad Black Hawks will be up against the Kochi Blue Spikers in the first match of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League at 1900 hrs IST on Saturday, 05 February 2022.

Watch the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, LIVE and Exclusive on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu) from February 5, 2022, onwards. The RuPay Prime Volleyball League is exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures, the leading sports marketing firm in the nation. RuPay, the first-of-its-kind Global Card payment network from India, has come on board as the Title Sponsor of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League and Fantasy games leaders A23 have signed on as “Powered By” Sponsors in a multi-year deal.

Byju’s, Cred, Dafa News, EatFit, Amul Kool and Nippon Paint have come on board as Associate Sponsors and Cosco & Apollo Hospitals have associated with the RuPay Prime Volleyball League as the Official Partners. ShareChat and Moj are the Official Content Partners of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League.

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League will feature a total of 24 matches.