Mumbai, March 3 (IANS) The cream of Indian cue sport, including big guns like 27-time IBSF World Champion Pankaj Advani, will be the star attraction in the prestigious CCI Snooker Classic 2026, which is set to commence at the iconic Cricket Club of India’s Wilson Jones Billiards Hall from March 6.

Advani, the reigning National and Asian snooker champion, has clinched the last three titles in succession in the biggest snooker event in Western India. Besides Advani, Ishpreet Singh, Aditya Mehta, Kamal Chawla, Faisal Khan, and Brijesh Damani, among others, are scheduled to take part in the tournament.

The tournament will start with the qualifying rounds, which will be played over three stages. Sixteen winners from the third stage will earn the right to challenge the 16 seeded players in the fourth stage, the main knockout draw.

With a total prize pool of ₹13.5 lakh, the tournament promises intense competition across the first three stages. The knockout round promises to witness sensational battles for supremacy. The champion will earn a purse of ₹3.5 lakh, while the runner-up will receive ₹1.75 lakh.

The final is slated to be played on March 22.

In last year’s edition, Advani had scripted a remarkable turnaround, showcasing his resilience and intense fighting spirit as he made a grand comeback to beat Ishpreet Singh Chadha 8-6 in the final of the Rs 13.5 all-India snooker tournament. Advani triumphed 15-57, 26-101, 18-75, 100-25, 36-93, 118-0, 59-68, 45-77, 64-47, 93-72, 70 -60, 75-32, 73-32, 75-47 in a hard-fought final played over three gruelling sessions.

For his sterling effort, Advani was presented with the champions’ trophy and a cheque of Rs 3.5 lakh, while Ishpreet received the runner-up trophy and an award of Rs 1.75 lakh.

–IANS

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