NEW DELHI (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017) - Without many of their biggest names, India's ONGC will be heavily relying on star wingman Vishesh Bhriguvanshi to carry their hopes at the Champions Cup.

Bhriguvanshi leads an Indian side that will not have standouts Amritpal Singh, Amjyot Singh, Satnam Singh, Aravind Annadurai and Talwinderjit Singh, and that means there will be a lot more pressure on the 1.92m guard to lead the way.

Aside from Bhriguvanshi, the other players who have had significant experiences playing on the continental level are Riyaz Uddin, Mohit Bhandari, Muraleekrishna Ravindran and Yadwinder Singh, but given his history of high level production, Bhriguvanshi will surely be the team's top offensive option. The 26-year-old is well aware of this, and true to his feisty nature, he is readyto face the challenge.

"We are good right now, but of course, we will miss some players, especially Amritpal inside. Anyway, we prepared ourselves so hard, so let's hope for the best."Vishesh BhriguvanshiVishesh Bhriguvanshi

ONGC fell short of making it past the group phase in last year's Champions Cup, losing all their three games, but they are aiming for a higher finish this time around.

ONGC were drawn into Group B together with Al Ahli of UAE, Al Riyadi of Lebanon, Dacin Tigers of Chinese Taipei and defending champions China Kashgar. In Group A are club teams from Thailand, Kazakhstan, Iran, Palestine and Philippines. The top four teams in each group will move on to the knockout Quarter-Finals, where the victors will advance to the Semi-Finals. The winners in the Semi-Finals will dispute the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2017 crown in the Final.

FIBA