The 31st Federation Cup National Basketball Championship begins here on March 22 and eight men and an equal number of women teams will vie for the title.

The men’s teams are Central Railways, Mumbai, Indian Air Force, Income Tax, Gujarat, Punjab Police, Indian Overseas Bank, Tamil Nadu and ONGC Uttarakhand.

The women’s teams will be finalised only by tomorrow as state championships are underway, according to organising secretary T Palanisamy. He told the media that teams representing Kerala State Electricity Board, Bhilai Steel Plant Chattisgarh and Southern Railways will be in there while the others would be representing Delhi, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal.

The six-day championship, coming to the city after a gap of 25 years, will be played on league-cum-knockout basis and is being supported by Arise Foundation, set up by national player Aadhav Arjuna, according to Tamil Nadu Basketball Association secretary incharge Parivendan.