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Poker Sports League Season 4 to start this month

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Poker Sports League (PSL) is all set to kick-off its fourth season powered by Fairplay News. The player selection ceremony was wrapped up last week, through a player’s auction at Deltin Royale and streamed live for the first time. The virtual league, powered by Fairplay News will start from 29 March and will go on till 13 April. Deltin Royale and Adda 52 have been announced as the venue partners and online partners respectively for this season.

The online skill gaming industry landscape is evolving rapidly in recent years with favouarble court decisions. As per a report by KPMG, the Indian online gaming industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22 percent. The online poker industry is presently growing at a rate of 35-40 percent year on year and was valued at Rs 400 crore in 2020, according to industry reports.

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Qualifiers for PSL started in November 2021. To qualify for PSL as an amateur; users need to play the qualifiers, accumulate points and stay at the top of the leaderboard. As, once the qualifiers are over, the top 36 players directly entered the player draft for PSL team selections.

This season’s player selection ceremony saw six teams representing six different Indian provinces, namely Delhi Czars, Deccan Aces, Goan Nuts, Gujarat Falcons, Mumbai Anchors, and Kolkata Kings. The defending champions team Deccan Aces along with the other teams invested heavily in qualifiers more than the pro players, giving the new talent the much-needed push to play.

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A total of 36 qualifiers, 12 pro players are going to be a part of this season. In addition to these, they have six spots for women and six for substitutes Akshay Nasa, a pro-player from Mumbai Anchors was retained from the previous season for Rs. 3,50,500 which is one of the highest this season. Aligning with a focus on gender equality PSL Season 4 has left no stone unturned in encouraging women players to play in every season. Niharika Bindra from Kolkata Kings was one such inspiring women player who was bought with a bid of Rs. 3,45,000.

A separate woman player slot has been designed in the team composition this season, which further strengthens the purpose of this league and establishes gender standards.

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Speaking about the PSL Season 4 and welcoming the players on board, Poker Sports League CEO and founder Pranav Bagai said, “Poker is here to stay and is on a growth path and we are excited to spearhead this league in a Phygital format this year. Having witnessed a remarkable response in the previous seasons, the player selection ceremony is a testament to the magnificence of this league and what the players can look forward to this season. The unprecedented time of pandemic left us wanting for more and we are excited to be back physically for our season finale. Poker is a game of skill, focus and sheer talent. Our aim will be to give all new players, especially the new qualifiers a platform where they can discover and upskill themselves. We have witnessed high biddings for these players, confirming our trust in the new talent in our country.”

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The league will have two to three matches every week hosted virtually with a live finale from 20 to 23 April 2022. By going virtual PSL will be among the top online poker tournaments in India.

“Owing to the growing potential of online gaming in India and a great response from the recently concluded online qualifiers, this season has an exciting mix of pro-players and budding participants who will not only represent their states but also get a coveted opportunity of practicing and improving their game with the best in the country. This year’s season is packed with nail-biting challenges, unique opportunities for players to progress, and true sportsmanship spirit. I welcome all the players and wish them all the luck to put their best foot forward,” he added.

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