Top Asian cueists, including current Asian champion Jin Long of China and former continental winner Yasin Merchant, will participate in the Reid and Taylor Bombay Gymkhana Instant snooker tournament, to be held in Mumbai from December 13-17.
Long will partner current world snooker youth runner-up and compatriot Tian Pengfei in the Rs 6,25,000 prize-money tournament.
The other foreigners who have entered the tournament, to be played on a unique time limit format, are Ko Kit Palajin, Nitiwat Kanjanasri (both Thailand), Saleh Mohamma, Mohd Yousuf (both Pakistan), Mohd Joker and Mohd Shehab (UAE).
Giving details of the tournament, in which two players form a team and there is a time limit of 20 minutes for a frame to be completed and 30 seconds for a shot to be attempted by the cueists, tournament's conceiver Gulam Vahanvati said he expects exciting matches in the format.
Merchant, winner of the Asian title twice in 1989 and 2001 and the 2002 Asian Games gold medallist, would be partnered by 200 IBSF world champion Pankaj Advani.
Among other Indians to be seen in action would be seven-time world pro billiards champion Geet Sethi, current world billiards runner-up Devendra Joshi and former world IBSF under 21 quarter-finalist Aditya Mehta.
