India has been placed in Group ‘D’, alongside Bahrain, Lebanon, and Iraq for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. The draw ceremony was held here on Saturday.
There are 16 spots up for grabs in the main draw of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup. The top two from each of the six qualifying groups will automatically advance into the main draw, while the next four berths will be determined through a tournament involving the third-placed sides in the groups.
India (World No. 67) will fancy its chances, with Bahrain (World No. 112) and Iraq (World No. 80) being lower-ranked nations. Lebanon (World No. 53) is the favourite to top the group.
The teams will play a home-and-away format, scheduled for November 2019, February 2020, and November 2020.
NBA Hall Of Fame player and Chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Yao Ming was present at the draw ceremony.
Former Philippines star player Jimmy Alapag, Japanese women’s professional player Asami Yoshida, FIBA President Horacio Muratore, FIBA Secretar-General Andreas Zagklis, FIBA Asia President Sheikh Saud, Basketball Federation of India President K. Govindraj, and Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala were some of the other dignitaries present at the event.
The groups: A: Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea; B: China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia; C: Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Guam; D: Bahrain, Lebanon, India, Iraq; E: Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria; F: Jordan, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Palestine.
