St. Louis (Mauritius), April 6 Fresh off a brilliant week in Japan, Karandeep Kochhar is excited about getting to Mauritius for the IGPL Invitational 2026, hosted by Leander Paes, which marks the beginning of the 3-leg African segment of the event.
The African leg will feature events in Mauritius, South Africa, and Congo, in addition to one event in each of the franchise's cities, plus two more international events.
The 10 franchises, each with four players on their roster, are: Phoenix (Hyderabad), Atri (Mumbai), Flyingman Ventures (Kolkata), RVR Infra (Delhi), Vimtra Ventures (Chennai), Green Fuels (Vizag), Auro Realty (Goa), GolfKonnekt (Bengaluru), Krishna Auto (Punjab), and Honer Homes Consortium (Gurugram).
In the team format, the two best scores will be counted for each round, and the points will accumulate throughout the season to determine the top-finishing teams.
Besides prize money, the individual winners will also compete for positions on the IGPL Order of Merit, which could earn them spots in $2 million International Series events across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The season-long International Series Rankings provide a direct pathway to the LIV Golf League.
The 27-year-old Kochhar, who is flying straight from Japan to Mauritius, finished tied-fifth in Japan for his second top-5 finish in three starts on the Asian Tour this year.
He is also eager to add to his IGPL wins after his success at the Dubai event.
As he prepared for the event, Kochhar said, "I am excited about getting to Mauritius. I played there some years ago (2019) in the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open at the Anahita Course, when it was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the European Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. And now to be getting there for the IGPL at the same golf course is fantastic."
The event will also feature India's top stars, including Gaganjeet Bhullar, a 11-time Asian Tour winner, Pukhraj Gill, the IGPL Order of Merit topper in 2025, and Aman Raj, a multiple winner on IGPL, among others.
Kochhar commented, "I have said earlier also that to put together a Tour like the IGPL, which started not even a year ago, actually six months, and to have associations like the one with the International Series and bring events to Mauritius shows how strong the leadership is. It is awesome and kudos to the leadership and International Series, LIV Golf, and everyone involved."