DEFENDING CHAMPION GAGANJEET Bhullar leads a strong field in the opening leg of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), being held at the Chandigarh Golf Club from Wednesday, March 11 through to March 13, with a Pro-Am on March 14.
Bhullar leads a 58-player field, including Pukhraj Singh Gill, who won the 2025 IGPL Order of Merit, and Asian Tour star Karandeep Kochhar, also an IGPL winner in 2025, in the Rs 1.5 crore prize money event.
The battle in 2025 was so close that the top three players — Pukhraj (Rs 81,90,652), Aman Raj (Rs 81,81,708), and Bhullar (Rs 81,30,000) — were separated by just over Rs 60,000.
The event, which sets the wheels in motion for 2026, also sees the arrival of the pedigreed Varun Parikh, a multiple winner, Indian-American Manav Shah, a winner on the PGA Tour of Latinoamerica and Varun Chopra.
Bhullar said: “The game has given me a lot and I want to give back to the game.”
The young brigade is led by Veer Ganapathy, who came close to registering his maiden win more than once. The 18-year-old Bengaluru lad and son of professional Rahul Ganapathy was seventh overall in the 2025 IGPL standings. Raghav Chugh (22) and newcomer Arjun Bhati (21) are among the other young pros in the field.
The amateur segment features Harjai Milkha Singh, son of the legendary Jeev Milkha Singh, who has been having a good run on the Indian Golf Union circuit. Other notable amateurs include Krish Chawla and Chaitanya Pandey.
The invitees’ list includes the legendary Chawrasia, a six-time winner in Asia. Meanwhile, Gaurav Ghei, the first Indian to play the Open, has committed to playing the full season.
