Manu Bhaker expresses excitement for Shooting League of India, speaks on her preferred partners

New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): India's double Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker expressed her excitement to participate in the upcoming Shooting League of India (SLI) this year, speaking on how she always hoped for a league concept to come into existence for shooting, like it existed for other sports. She also spoke on the use of technology, which will make the competition more interesting.

Manu was speaking in a video posted on the official YouTube handle of SLI. It is the first franchise-based professional shooting competition in India, was sanctioned by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) earlier this year and has already received support from the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). The first edition of the Shooting League of India has been allocated a window by ISSF between November 20, 2025 and December 2, 2025. The tournament will take place at Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.

Speaking in the video, Manu said, "I will be able to take part in a shooting league soon. Honestly, I was very thrilled because I always thought that why we did not have a shooting league. I mean, in so many other sports, like cricket for example, everyone knows. And various other sports also have leagues. So, I was hoping that someday, maybe even soon in my career, I could participate in a shooting league too."

"Now that the time is not too far off, I am really excited about it. I know it is definitely going to be fun. We will have a lot of statics. For example, we will have heart rate monitors and all that displayed for others to see. We will also have SCATT shooting (a tool used in shooting), so people can see how much movement we have, because the amount of movement we shooters produce under pressure is insane. Watching how we shoot during those pressure times will be super interesting," she added.

Speaking about who she would like to team with in the competition, Manu pointed out, "From India, it would be Suruchi Singh from women's category and Saurabh Chaudhary (the 2020 Tokyo Olympian and Asian Games gold medalist). Internationally, it would be Korean shooters."

Manu said that the league would be much more than people watching shooters playing their sport, it would be "them being able to understand the pressure players are under, how their bodies react, how their pistols and hands shiver while shooting as they aim to do their best."

"So it would be really nice to be able to shoot in front of them. I think Indian shooters have a considerable advantage when it comes to shooting, and we Indians can do really, really well. Even on the world stage, in global competitions, we've been doing great. But I am sure we can do even better. Because sports like archery, shooting, chess, and similar ones, we have huge potential in them. It is time to unlock that potential. So just come cheer for us, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we will," she concluded.

The first edition of the tournament will include mixed team events across pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3p), and shotgun (Trap & Skeet) categories. Shooters will be grouped into four tiers, Elite Champions, World Elite, National Champions, and Junior & Youth Champions -- ensuring a dynamic blend of experience and emerging talent. (ANI)

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