Pocket52’s The Poker Sports League (PSL) Season 6 has wrapped up its Qualifiers while achieving a record turnout of 20,927 unique participants. The team-based tournament which has a mix of amateur and professional players and is open for everyone.
The Qualifiers kicked off on 16 June, drawing over 5000 participants in its first qualifier. Over 50 days, players competed in daily open qualifiers on Pocket52, with the top 42 players earning spots on the seven teams advancing to the league matches. The top 1,000 participants were rewarded with prizes totalling over Rs. 40 lakhs.
The live auctions, held on 13 August 2024 in Goa, marked the next phase of PSL S6 with almost two crores being spent on acquiring players for S6. Out of the 17 pros that were auctioned, Ritwik Khanna emerged as the highest bid pro category player for a whopping Rs 5,80,000. From the 38 qualifiers, Saransh Garg was acquired for Rs 4,50,000. The auction event was live streamed on the OTT platform, JioCinema.
Poker Sports League CEO and co-founder Pranav Bagai expressed, “We are thrilled with the overwhelming success of the PSL S6 qualifiers. The participation of 20,927 unique players has more than doubled our previous records, underscoring PSL’s standing as not just India’s premier poker event, but also a significant force on the global stage. This massive turnout highlights the growing appeal of poker as a mind sport in India and reflects our efforts to make PSL more inclusive and accessible through our open qualifiers on Pocket52.”
Bagai further added, “As we transition into the league matches, we’re thrilled to showcase India’s top poker talent and take the sport to new heights. To enhance the accessibility and engagement of the event for a broader audience, we’ve taken a significant step by introducing Hinglish commentary on JioCinema in S6. This initiative is aimed at doubling our viewership and making the thrill of poker more relatable and enjoyable for our diverse audience across the country.”
The teams competing this season are the Mumbai Anchors, Lucknow Kings, Gujarat Falcons, Deccan Aces, Bengaluru Allstars, Kolkata Wizards, and Goa Gators.
The virtual league matches will be held from 26 August to 8 September leading up to an on-ground live finale from 13 to 15 September.