A total of 11 men's teams are confirmed for this year's King's Cup Division A Basketball Championships, which will be held from April 26 to May 12, while nine women's squads will take part

in the group round-robin competition.

In the men's event Hi-Tech, which performed superbly in last year's Nation Super League to win the four-leg tournament, are looking forward to defending their crown, while the respective runners-up, the PEA and Bangkok Bank teams, are aiming to mount a serious challenge.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Bank team are chasing their 14th title in the women's event. To make sure of their gold medal chances, the bankers are fielding two teams this year - A and B.

Organising committee chairman Pichate Sansanapittayakorn is convinced the tournament will be a competitive competition.

"Every team has been working hard to boost their opportunities," said Pichate.

"However, we [the organising committee and the Basketball Association of Thailand] are now discussing whether to extend the time required for applications as lots of teams have not handed in their application forms in time," he added.

The tournament will simultaneously kick off on April 29 at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium and gymnasium inside Siam University. The draw will be held on March 31.

Alitta Tangrungruengkit

The Nation