PGTI boss Kapil Dev bats for LIV Golf

Kolkata: Presenting a dead bat is not something you would associate with Kapil Dev. But at Tollygunge Club on Friday, he did that to most questions on Jasprit Bumrah in particular and the Champions Trophy in general. Because the captain of India’s first cricket World Cup winners was here as president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

True to his earlier avatar, Dev has already made an impact since taking charge last June. On his watch, the prize money on the tour has increased by ₹4.5 crore in the first half of 2025 as compared to what it was in the corresponding period last year. Yuvraj Sandhu, whose card of 20-under 260 fetched him the winner’s cheque of ₹15 lakh in the PGTI Payers Championship, thanked “paaji” for increasing the prize money of the season-opener here to ₹1 crore. “I remember winning this when the total prize was ₹30 lakh.”

For the first time, a tournament will be in Chattisgarh and Dev referred to that when asked about what the tour can do to help young Indian players. “We are trying to give them more opportunities,” he said. From nine last year, PGTI has increased the number of tournaments to 11 in the first half of its calendar this time.

It was in the same vein that Dev said he looked at LIV Golf. “Cricket benefited from IPL. Look how confident young Indian cricketers are now. So, the more tournaments, the better for players.”

But in the month LIV Golf’s International Series made a successful debut in India with US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, Dev said he would not comment on whether PGTI would seek a collaboration with the breakaway tour.

In an afternoon no one at Tolly let him forget his past, Dev said though playing cricket for “10 months” is contributing players breaking down, there was no point in talking about Bumrah not being able to recover in time for the Champions Trophy. “Why talk about someone who is not there. This is not an individual sport. If we play well as a team, we will definitely win.”