GANDHINAGAR, GUJARAT | 06th SEPTEMBER 2026 | The Volleyball Champions League (VCL) unveiled its championship trophy and conducted its inaugural player auction in Ahmedabad on Sunday, marking a key milestone ahead of the league’s first season.
The event, held at The Leela Gandhinagar, saw VCL founders Dhiraj Manjeri and Kulvant Baliyan unveil the championship trophy. They also outlined the league’s plans for the inaugural tournament, including team line-ups and the roadmap for the season ahead.
The player auction brought players and teams together as the league took its first step towards assembling its squads for the championship. The event also marked the first time Gujarat hosted an auction for a national-level professional volleyball league.
Speaking on the occasion, Dhiraj Manjeri, Founder, VCL, said, “The trophy and the player auction are important milestones for VCL as we move from planning to building the league on the ground. Our aim is to create a professional platform where volleyball players can compete, develop and build successful careers in the sport. We want the league to give players an opportunity to perform at a high level while also bringing competitive volleyball closer to fans across India.”
Kulvant Baliyan, Founder, VCL, said, “The response to the auction has been encouraging and it has given us a clear sense of the talent available in Indian volleyball. For us, VCL is about creating a structured league that can support players and teams. The trophy represents what the teams will compete for, while the auction marks the beginning of the competitive side of the league. We are now focused on taking the tournament forward and delivering a strong first season.”
VCL was officially launched on July 8, 2026, by Manjeri and Baliyan with the aim of creating a professional platform for volleyball players and strengthening the sport’s ecosystem in India. The league will feature elite athletes and teams in a structured competition, provide fans with high-level volleyball action and build a powerful ecosystem for volleyball in India.
With the trophy now unveiled and the player auction completed, VCL will move into the next phase of preparations, with teams and players setting their sights on the first season. The Ahmedabad event was managed by The Bollywood Hub.
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