Mumbai, Nov 17 (IANS) Karandeep Kochhar, fresh from a win in Egypt, returns to the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Tour as he tees up at the IGPL Invitational Mumbai as the tour moves to the western part of India. After six events around the country, the seventh leg will be held in Mumbai at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club.

The field will also include two other in-form players, Pukhraj Singh Gill, who won the event in Jamshedpur, and Aman Raj, who won in Jaipur and Kolkata. Another win from this season in the field is Kapil Kumar, who emerged victorious in Pune.

The women’s challenge will be one of the strongest to be seen this season, with Vani Kapoor, who has just won the Order of Merit, teeing up this week. The other leading women stars will be Pranavi Urs, a Ladies European Tour regular, former WGAI Order of Merit winner, Sneha Singh, Amandeep Drall, Neha Tripathi, and Jasmine Shekar.

India’s most successful star, with the most Asian Tour wins to his name, Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of the first two events, Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens, will skip the event this week, as he travels on the Asian Tour.

The latest event at the BPGC will also be crucial as it is the last event before the all-important Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat, which is co-sanctioned by IGPL and the Asian Tour and carries a purse of $ 500,000.

A good performance this week will also go a long way in winning the IGPL Order of Merit, which has multiple rewards. The OOM topper will get a spot in the $2 million International Series in India, which could open further doors on the International platform.

Also, a good showing on the Bharath Classic 2025 Gujarat in Ahmedabad will help the players make progress on the Asian Tour for the 2026 season. In addition, players will have on offer spots into the Final Stage of Asian Tour Qualifying.

Kochhar is already on his way to the Asian Tour following his win in Egypt, which will help him finish in Top-5 of the Asian Development Tour (ADT). For many Indians, the Asian Tour has become the preferred Tour, keeping in mind conditions similar to those in India and its proximity to India.

The Order of Merit battle will see leader Aman Raj being once again challenged by Pukhraj Singh Gill and teenager Kartik Singh. Pukhraj Singh Gill has put himself in line for Order of Merit honours following his first pro title in Jamshedpur. A win will push him to the top.

Kartik, despite a series of excellent performances, is seeking his maiden win on the IGPL. A win this week in Mumbai could propel Kartik to the top. Other prominent names in the field are Kapil Kumar, winner in Pune, and Sachin Baisoya, who could also move to the top with a win.

SSP Chawrasia, an icon player on the IGPL, Olympian Udayan Mane, and former Indian Open winner, C Muniyappa, will also be in the field, as will be teenaged Veer Ganapathy, who is also seeking his maiden win after a series of good showings.

However, for any of the three, Pukhraj, Kartik, or Sachin to rise to the top, they will need Aman Raj to finish way down the leaderboard. On current form, Aman is looking good despite not finishing in the top 10 in Jamshedpur.

–IANS

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