Mauritius, April 8 (IANS) Gaganjeet Bhullar, a four-time IGPL Tour winner, is ready to take part in the IGPL Invitational 2026. The 37-year-old, who holds the record for the most wins among Indian players on the Asian Tour with 11 victories, including last month’s opening event in Chandigarh, aims to secure ‘back-to-back’ victories once again.

The second event on the IGPL Tour 2026 is the first outside India this year and marks the beginning of the Africa leg, which includes additional events in South Africa and Congo. Last year, the IGPL visited Dubai and Sri Lanka.

This year, IGPL has acquired 10 franchises for the IGPL League, which is part of the Tour. The circuit will travel to 10 different cities, each hosting a franchise.

Bhullar on his arrival said, “A win is what we all tee up for and that’s my goal this week, too. Last year I won the first two events in Chandigarh and Greater Noida, and I hope I can make it back-to-back once again,” said Bhullar, who also recognises that the opposition in the IGPL is quite formidable, with key players like Karandeep Kochhar and Pukhraj Singh Gill in good form.

Tennis legend Leander Paes, owner of the Flying Man Kolkata franchise, has been instrumental in organising the IGPL Invitational in Mauritius. The Mauritius Economic Development Board actively supports the event and promotes golf via the IGPL.

Paes, renowned as one of the top doubles players in tennis history, has secured 18 Grand Slam titles across doubles, men’s, and mixed categories. An enthusiastic golfer, Paes is now focused on fostering business connections between India and countries such as Mauritius.

Bhullar arrived in Mauritius on Tuesday and said, “I just reached (Mauritius) today. I’m going to play a practice round tomorrow.
But having said that, you know, I did play an event here some years ago. It’s a beautiful golf course. I think it’s a great achievement for IGPL to come all the way to Mauritius. It’s a beautiful place, it’s such a great experience for so many youngsters, who have not played so many tournaments outside India to come here.”

“It is a great course, you know, where there’s so much of wind, it’s a tough golf course and it is a European Tour destination. So, I think overall it’s going to be a great week. I’m really looking forward to playing well,” he added.

Bhullar, who previously competed here when it was co-sanctioned by the Asian and European Tours, now looks forward to this week’s event and aims to add it to his achievements successes.

On the season so far, he added, “I got off to a great start on IGPL. I won my first event this year and the goal is just to build on that momentum and keep doing well and keep on doing better. I want to try and improve as a player, especially now with the tie-up between the IGPL and Liv-backed International Series. So that is something I’m really looking forward to. You know, try and finish up on the Order of Merit and try and have a chance to get to Liv using this opportunity.”

In 2026, Bhullar will split his time between IGPL, the International Series, and the Asian Tour. As a senior player in the IGPL, he also enjoys mentoring young players developing in the game.

–IANS

vi/