Bengaluru to host Billie Jean King Cup play-offs in November

India were on Thursday drawn in group G along with Slovenia and the Netherlands as Bengaluru will host the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup playoffs from November 14. The playoffs will feature 21 nations split into seven groups of three teams each. In a unique format, every group tie will be hosted by a nation and the venues were formally announced following a draw held on Thursday in London.

The playoffs are scheduled to end on November 16. India recently qualified for the playoffs, only for the second time in its history, following a spectacular performance in the Asia/ Oceania Group I tie held in Pune. India qualified along with New Zealand for the playoffs, following its 2-1 win over Korea. Both New Zealand and India had four wins each in the six-team competition.

The only other time India qualified for the playoffs was in April 2021 when it played in Latvia that saw Jelena Ostapenko lead her team to a 3-1 victory. In other groups, Canada, Mexico and Denmark will feature in group A, and group B includes Poland, New Zealand and Romania while group C features Slovakia, Switzerland and Argentina. Group D will have Czechia, Colombia and Croatia, and group E will have Australia, Portugal and Brazil. Germany, Belgium and Turkiye are in group F.

Sunil Yajaman, Hon Joint Secretary of KSLTA and Tournament Director of the event said, "We were absolutely thrilled when India qualified for the playoffs and their performance was outstanding. There is a lot of promise with young tennis players performing exceptionally well and a home playoff tie can be a huge fillip in boosting the growth of the sport particularly in the grassroots and also inspire potential talent.

"We are very delighted to be chosen as one of the host countries for the playoffs." "We also feel that it is a great opportunity for Indian team to perform at its best as all the players are well adapted to the conditions here." PTI