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Kapil Dev announces Trinity Golf Champions League in Pune from tomorrow: ‘This game is so lovely that you’ll stay awake at night

Eight teams consisting of a mix of professional golfers, amateur club members, and celebrities will participate in the Pune tournament aimed at promoting the sport and creating a vibrant golfing community.

Cricketer Kapil Dev’s four-day Trinity Golf Champions League (TGCL) will begin on Tuesday at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune.Cricketer Kapil Dev’s four-day Trinity Golf Champions League (TGCL) will begin on Tuesday at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune. (Express File Photo)
Cricketer Kapil Dev’s four-day Trinity Golf Champions League (TGCL) will begin on Tuesday at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune. Eight teams will be in the field, each consisting of a mix of professional golfers, amateur club members, and celebrities. Golfers Gaganjeet Bhullari and Ridhima Dilawari, celebrities like Karun Nair and Murali Kartik, and coaches like Gaurab Ghei are participating in the tournament.
The public can visit the golf course to view the players in action during the tournament.
Participants compete in a team-based format with a handicapping system to ensure amateurs can compete effectively alongside professionals. There is no auction for the players, who are drafted by franchise owners according to rules.
The tournament aims to promote golf and create a vibrant golfing community. It is modelled on the Ryder Cup format, where the formats of better ball, alternate shots, and singles match play are put together.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Kapil Dev, who is the tournament’s promoter, said, “Golf is a very individual game and it is a challenge against the course. In cricket, you can make a mistake and still survive and get a boundary. But in golf, if you make a mistake, you can be out of the tournament. That is why this game is so much more focused than any other game… This game is so lovely that you will stay awake at night (thinking about it).”
The eight teams are Vishwasamudra Golden Eagles, Dakshin Rangers, Chandigarh Titans, Golf Code, Mumbai Warriors, Dugasta Titans-Dubai, Maratha Mulligans, and Wave Riders. Each team will include two professional female golfers and one non-golfing celebrity.
Prominent players for each team include Gaganjeet Bhullar, Karandeep Kochar, Ridhima Dilawari, and Sneha Singh for Vishwasamudra Golden Eagles, cricketer Karun Nair for Dakshin Rangers, cricketer Murali Kartik for Dugasta Titans-Dubai, Khalin Joshi and Angad Cheema for Mumbai Warriors, Vidhatri Urs and hockey player Zafar Iqbal for Wave Riders, Kshitij Naved Kaul and Abhinav Lohan for Chandigarh Titans,  Hitashee Bakshi and Sachin Baisoya for Golf Code.

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More


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