Lokmat Nagpur Premier League soccer starts on sunday

Nagpur: The fourth edition of Adani Group sponsored Lokmat Nagpur Premier League (NPL) Football tournament will start under the floodlights at Yeshwant Stadium here on Sunday.

Six teams are vying for the coveted title in a Rs 2.77 lakh prize money event, in which the champions will get Rs 1.50 lakh, runners-up Rs 75,000, third place winners Rs 31,000 and fourth place winner Rs 21,000. The prizes are sponsored by Raisoni Group. It will be played on round-robin basis and finals will be held on January 18, Senior General Manager of Lokmat Group, Nilesh Singh and Nagpur District Football Association (NDFA), Vice-President Haresh Vora, told reporters here. Semi-finals will be played on January 15 and 16. Man of the Match awardee in each match will get Rs 3,000 in the league stage and Rs 5,000 in semi-finals. Rs 25,000 will be given to the Man of the Match in the finals and best player in the losing team will get Rs 15,000, while Golden Boot worth Rs 31,000 will be presented to the best player of the tournament. Best Goalkeeper (Rs 15,000), Best Forward (Rs 10,000), Best Defender and Best Midfielder (Rs 10,000 each) will also be awarded. Matches will be played as per FIFA rules and qualified all-India referees will conduct the matches.