National champion Shahid Aftab and Imran Shehzad both from Punjab will be the main title contenders in the third NBP National Ranking Snooker Championship. The event will begin here at Amir Bakhsh Hall of Karachi Club from today. The top seed Shahid Aftab returned here recently after a string of good results in World Team Snooker held in Bangkok. The second seed Imran Shehzad is also experienced international while third seed Sultan Muhammad and fourth seed Sohail Shahzad both from Sindh as well as Asif Toba and Muhammad are capable of causing upsets.
As Sajjad will be missing the event as he will be defending his crown in Korat Cup in Thailand, it will be good opportunity to grab the title defended by eighth seed Asjad Iqbal. As many as 31 cuemen from across the country drawn in eight groups will be vying for the crown and winners purse of Rs.60,000. After three-day league activity, top two cueists from each group will qualify for the last 16 round to be played on July 22.
