Virat Kohli Launches Premier Futsal Nationwide Talent Hunt

Virat Kohli, India's Test captain, on Thursday launched a nationwide talent hunt to identify and pick the top local talent to play in the inaugural season of the world's first-ever multi-national futsal league.

Dubbed 'Premier Futsal Launchpad', the talent hunt will kick off on May 26th in Mumbai, taking place in seven other cities across the country before it concludes on June 21st in New Delhi.

The talent hunt will pick a total of 40 players - five per city - who will go on to represent their home cities in the league.

Kohli said, "The launch of Premier Futsal is a massive shot in the arm for Indian sport. We've seen India's appetite for different sports growing over the last few years and I'm sure a sport as exciting, competitive and riveting as futsal will strike a chord with sports fans here.

"I think the talent hunt is a great initiative which will nurture local talent and help futsal establish itself firmly among India's most followed sports."

Premier Futsal Chairman, Xavier Britto said, "The Premier Futsal League is a unique concept in that it's the only multi-national futsal league in the world.

"But even as the league will have the best global futsalling and footballing talent on display, we are committed to driving the holistic development of the sport through the creation of a strong base of local players."

Alessandro Rosa Vieira 'Falcao' said, "I think the concept holds a lot of promise and has the potential to grow what is a truly spectacular, fast-paced game in a major way in India. While I'm really looking forward to testing my skills against the world's best futsal and football players, I'm equally excited to be measuring myself against the best India has to offer."

The talent hunt is open to any applicants between 18 to 24 years of age. Aspiring futsallers can register to be part of the talent hunt online or on the spot at select sports clubs and colleges across the eight cities that Premier Futsal will be visiting.

Applicants will be put through their paces at a three-day camp in each city, where they will be evaluated for physical fitness and mental agility, and technical attributes like flair, creativity, positioning, dribbling, passing and tackling.

About 25 most promising candidates from each city will then advance to a three-week boot camp in Mumbai, where they will train along with international players, before five from each city will be chosen to represent their home side in the league.