Published: January 26, 2026 at 10:34 pm
The sixth Samuel Vasanth Kumar Memorial Basketball Tournament, which will be held from February 10 at the YMCA Secunderabad, promises to be yet another block tournament in the city.
The tournament is being conducted by the Sports Writers Association of Telangana (SWAT) under the technical guidance of the Hyderabad District Basketball Association (HDBA).
All affiliated units of the HDBA are eligible to take part in the tournament. Entries may be sent to Norman Isaac, general secretary, HDBA. For details contact Norman Isaac on 9440048210.
Samuel was a multi-talented personality
The tournament is held in the memory of late EA Samuel Vasanth Kumar, who had worn many caps during his lifetime. He was a multi-talented personality and a down-to-earth human being. He was a basketball player and then turned into a coach and referee.
He was also an administrator with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and retired as the second in command (deputy sports officer) in the sports wing of the prestigious government office. To top it all, Samuel Vasanth Kumar was a passionate sports journalist, whose writings have helped many a sportsperson. He worked with Newstime, PTI and The Times of India over the years.
Behind the smiling and cheerful face, Sam anna, as he was fondly called, was a tough task master, especially on the basketball court. He was feared as a referee, and no team would dare question his rulings. Off the court, he was a genial giant and the most fun-loving person, who lived life to the fullest.
Customs & GST won the inaugural edition of the tournament at the Victory Playground in 2018
First edition of the tournament was held in 2018
The tournament was first held at the Victory Playground (VPG) in 2018 and since then it has grown in strength. It is the most talked about basketball tournament in the city and after a year’s gap it is again gearing up to enthrall the fans.
The competition has been very competitive over the years with top teams of the city participating in it. South Central Railway and Secunderabad YMCA have been the most dominant teams in the tournament.
The South Central Railway hoopsters won the second edition of the tournament in 2020 after defeating Secunderabad YMCA. They finished runners-up the following year but came back with a vengeance in the fifth edition of the tournament. South Central Railway exacted revenge by defeating Secunderabad YMCA in 2024 to claim the winner’s trophy.
YMCA men and women teams won the titles at the fourth edition of the tournament in 2023
Secunderabad YMCA have made appearance in all five finals
Secunderabad YMCA too have been equally impressive in the tournament. They had finished runners-up to Customs & GST in 2018 at the VPG. In 2020, they again ended up runners-up as they were beaten by South Central Railway in the final.
Secunderabad YMCA, however, had their moment of glory when they defeated South Central Railway in 2021 to win the third edition of the tournament. They then went on to make it back-to-back titles as they defeated G9 in the final in 2023. It was actually a glorious double for Secunderabad YMCA as their women’s team too bagged the title.
The women’s event was held for the first time, and it proved to be a big success. Secunderabad YMCA women toyed with St Pious in their final round robin match with a convincing 57-29 win. Secunderabad YMCA won all their three matches in the four team round robin while N8 with a two-win one loss record finished second and St pious with a solitary win were third and Trinity which lost all their games finished fourth.
South Central Railway won their second title in the tournament in 2024. They are the defending champions for the sixth edition of the tournament which will be held at the YMCA Secunderabad from February 10
In 2024, the fifth edition of the tournament, South Central Railway prevented a hattrick of titles for Secunderabad YMCA. The SCR team steamrolled past their opponents to win their second title in the tournament.
Roll of Honour:
2018: 1. Customs & GST, 2. Secunderabad YMCA
2020: 1. South Central Railway, 2. Secunderabad YMCA.
2021: 1. Secunderabad YMCA, 2. South Central Railway
2023: Men: 1. Secunderabad YMCA, 2. G 9. Women: 1. YMCA Secunderabad, 2. N 8
2024: 1. South Central Railway, 2. Secunderabad YMCA
