May 1, 2025 • 8 mins
Optimism from the Indian Panthers' boss that his club will be able to return to the NBL this season.
The Panthers have been handed an immediate and indefinite suspension from the basketball league - amid serious allegations of payment issues and poor treatment of players.
The ban will only be lifted if the club meet the NBL commission's conditions.
CEO Parveen Batish is confident the Panthers will be back.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks'd.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Be form my owner, part owner of the Wellington Saints.
Good evening, Nick, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
How you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm doing a lot better than what's happening at Basketball
New Zealand and what's happening with the Panthers. The further
you dig, the worst this gets. Nick, What do you know?
Because no one's allowed to talk.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
No one's allowed to talk, And all I can tell
you is that I believe the official line has been
suspended while the international breaker is on for them to
come up with further proof that they can get through
the season.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's not going to happen.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
The train wreck is limping to the nearest station, and
everyone's going to climb off and let's get on with life.
The very very quickest and easiest and best result for
everyone is get rid of it, stop it, and let
the dream, the bad dream, go away.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
How does that impinge on the other teams in the league,
though surely there will be a ripple effect that will
effect that the hard working teams that are paying their
way and looking after their players.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Realistically, it will make no difference whatsoever they take away
all the points too, and four and against on the
teams that have played them. They take everything that, every
bit of an announcement, any sunny thing to do with
the Panthers out of the system. Yes, we'll miss a
home game. Some teams would have sold the season tickets
based on the extra game.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
I'm sure that when.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
We and the Saints are definitely one of those, I'm
sure that the public will understand and they can either
give them a discount next season or they could do
That's really that pales into insignificance towards, you know, to
the converse, which is letting them keep going.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Okay, I've made a lot of phone course, a lot
of people who won't come on here, understandably so because
they're still a negotiation. I get that. So I'm not
going to mention any names. But this has been going
on for so long, and it appears that Basketball New
Zealand have had deaf airs to the whole event. Look,
you've been around the scene long time. Has this been
(02:07):
bubbling for a while.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It's been bubbling from before they even arrived, before they
even started, the first week, we got told that the
real team wasn't going to start because they had international
commitments BS, and then we got told that the Indians
weren't coming out here because they had been contracted in
India BS. I mean, it's just been BS from start
to finish. It was a terrible idea. I said so
(02:30):
at the time, I said, this is not going to work.
India and basketball aren't Cricket and India are they. I mean,
let's be real, it was never going to work. It
was a disastrous idea tried. I mean there was some
good you know, justin Nelson's done some amazing things since
he's been in charge of the league. This definitely wasn't
one of them. Let's get on with it. Let's actually
(02:51):
forget about it and get on with our lives because
everyone else is doing well. The crowds are good, the
games are good, the TV coverage with Sky is amazing.
Everything is great apart from one team, and that's the Panthers.
They shouldn't have been there. Get rid of them and
let's get on with life.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I'm sure people would love that. I'm sure basketball in
news Elan Ward I hope to just go away as well.
But is it that simple? When I read the release
that's come out from Basketball and z around the suspension
and some of the terms. They drive me nuts. The
commission chair Tracy Garland very disappointing commissioners facing this, especially
(03:26):
given that following careful due diligence. Now, from what I've gleaned,
I don't know if there was careful due diligence or
any at all. It looked slapped together at the last moment.
Now I can't back that up with numbers. I'm just
talking with the people I've talked to. It looks like
it's pretty shaky from the get go.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
One hundred percent you're one hundred percent right, and everyone
knew it. It was just an idea that was conjured
up with the dream I've been able to capitalize on
a country in a population of one point three billion people.
It didn't work out. There was no due diligence, or
if it was, it wasn't done by anyone that you
want that two and two equals four. It just was
(04:08):
a very bad idea. And you know what it's happened before.
Remember the Tasmanian Huskies. There was another dream that they
to have an Australian team in the league that ended
exactly the same way. Bulls everywhere, debt everywhere, and we
just don't learn by our mistakes. Stick to your knitting,
stick to the teams out in New Zealand, stick to
the accredited teams that have been there for forty years,
(04:30):
and stop dreaming up new ideas.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I'm glad you said that about Justin Nelson. I get
on with the guy really well. I think what he's
done to the NBL since he's turned up has been tremendous.
So here is a splotch, a black mark, if you will,
if indeed it is traced back to him. But besides
wanting to tap into the Indian fortune, what was the
driver behind this? Do you think? Why would you even
do this and in such a hurry? That's what gets me.
(04:56):
Maybe give it six months, give it a year, find
out and then let it roll.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
But it's like that, Well, yes, Justin has done some
wonderful things when he's been has in the league, no
question about that. But the Huskies was his dream that
didn't work either. It was exactly the same as this.
Maybe it didn't happen in the middle of the season,
but the end of the season there were debts, there
were talk, There was all the same sort of stuff
they didn't want, you know, it didn't. We just don't
(05:21):
need to have an international team in our league. It's
a very small time, well respected league. Let's get things
on facts on the table. This league has been a
Division one league since nineteen eighty two worldwide, Justin Nelson's
been there for the last five years that this league
has had big, big periods of time where it was
far bigger than it is now, far bigger. I can
(05:42):
remember going to north Shore to watch with the Saints
to play noll Shore, you know, in eighty six or
eighty seven at three o'clock in an afternoon for a
seven o'clock game, there was three or four hundred people
lining up to get into the games. This is not
a new phenomenon. Basketball's the league in basketball's been huge
for a long long time.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I remember going not to Pioneer Stadium, in kel Stadium
watching the old school Cangory team back when in the day,
right in those hellcyon days. So I think he's injected
a great amount to it and coverage and the like.
This is a black mark, but let's talk bigger picture.
Nick Mills, as far as a black eye for not
only the sales NBL butt New Zealand basketball full stop.
(06:23):
This can be recovered from. This is not going to
reverberate around the basketball world. Is that this is this
we're going to get through.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
We're absolutely going to get through. But the quicker they
cut the cancer out, the less it's spread. You know,
And there's no ceo of Basketball New Zealand. Dyllan's done
the bit of a runner and gone to the breakers.
We've got on him, that's what he wants to do.
We've got no CEO at Basketball News and we don't
really really have any leadership there that can actually make
a decisions, make things happen. Everyone. You ask anyone any
(06:52):
team in the league that they ring Basketball New Zealand,
but ring the NBL and ask a.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Question, it always goes back.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I just have to ask Justin. He's left a year ago.
But they still have to ask Justin before before they
can go to the bathroom, they have to ask Justin.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Long term, it'll get through. They've got a couple of
weeks to delay this and then you believe what will
happen is that the Panthers will be exit stage left
and the game will heal. And I think if one
of the problems I have here is the game is
accelerating in popularity, especially amongst teenagers and high school kids.
(07:26):
It's going through the roof. This is the last thing
it needs, but hopefully it'll be overpowered by the surge
of the popularity for hoops.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Well, they just need to cut and get on with it.
I mean, the longer it takes to cut, the longer
the BS is going to carry on and it is.
I mean, you know, yes, last night we were the
front sports story in NBL, was the front sports story
on both news channels. Do we want that? Do we?
Actually they're not talking about how great Canterbury Rams are
this year and how looks like they can't be beaten.
(07:55):
They're not talking about, you know, the fire doing really well.
They're not talking about good stuff. They're talking about a
team not paying their bills and having trouble because that's
what the media want to talk about.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, we're terrible like that. Thanks very much for that,
Nick Mills. We need to clip that out, Andy, Nick.
Nick Mills just said the Canary Rams are a narrow,
unbeatable man that must have hurt. Thanks for your time
at Nick Mills. Let's get a quick word now from
Paven Battists, the CEO of the Panthers.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Listen, I'm hugely optimistic that we'll be back playing and
fulfill the rest of our fixtures.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
That's what I'm looking forward to. The proof of the
pudding is in the eating, and I'm not entirely sure
we'll dine out on the return of the Panthers.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Wildergrave
from News Talks'd.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Be form my owner, part owner of the Wellington Saints.
Good evening, Nick, Darcy.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
How you doing.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'm doing a lot better than what's happening at Basketball
New Zealand and what's happening with the Panthers. The further
you dig, the worst this gets. Nick, What do you know?
Because no one's allowed to talk.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
No one's allowed to talk, And all I can tell
you is that I believe the official line has been
suspended while the international breaker is on for them to
come up with further proof that they can get through
the season.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
That's not going to happen.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
The train wreck is limping to the nearest station, and
everyone's going to climb off and let's get on with life.
The very very quickest and easiest and best result for
everyone is get rid of it, stop it, and let
the dream, the bad dream, go away.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
How does that impinge on the other teams in the league,
though surely there will be a ripple effect that will
effect that the hard working teams that are paying their
way and looking after their players.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Realistically, it will make no difference whatsoever they take away
all the points too, and four and against on the
teams that have played them. They take everything that, every
bit of an announcement, any sunny thing to do with
the Panthers out of the system. Yes, we'll miss a
home game. Some teams would have sold the season tickets
based on the extra game.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
I'm sure that when.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
We and the Saints are definitely one of those, I'm
sure that the public will understand and they can either
give them a discount next season or they could do
That's really that pales into insignificance towards, you know, to
the converse, which is letting them keep going.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Okay, I've made a lot of phone course, a lot
of people who won't come on here, understandably so because
they're still a negotiation. I get that. So I'm not
going to mention any names. But this has been going
on for so long, and it appears that Basketball New
Zealand have had deaf airs to the whole event. Look,
you've been around the scene long time. Has this been
(02:07):
bubbling for a while.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
It's been bubbling from before they even arrived, before they
even started, the first week, we got told that the
real team wasn't going to start because they had international
commitments BS, and then we got told that the Indians
weren't coming out here because they had been contracted in
India BS. I mean, it's just been BS from start
to finish. It was a terrible idea. I said so
(02:30):
at the time, I said, this is not going to work.
India and basketball aren't Cricket and India are they. I mean,
let's be real, it was never going to work. It
was a disastrous idea tried. I mean there was some
good you know, justin Nelson's done some amazing things since
he's been in charge of the league. This definitely wasn't
one of them. Let's get on with it. Let's actually
(02:51):
forget about it and get on with our lives because
everyone else is doing well. The crowds are good, the
games are good, the TV coverage with Sky is amazing.
Everything is great apart from one team, and that's the Panthers.
They shouldn't have been there. Get rid of them and
let's get on with life.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
I'm sure people would love that. I'm sure basketball in
news Elan Ward I hope to just go away as well.
But is it that simple? When I read the release
that's come out from Basketball and z around the suspension
and some of the terms. They drive me nuts. The
commission chair Tracy Garland very disappointing commissioners facing this, especially
(03:26):
given that following careful due diligence. Now, from what I've gleaned,
I don't know if there was careful due diligence or
any at all. It looked slapped together at the last moment.
Now I can't back that up with numbers. I'm just
talking with the people I've talked to. It looks like
it's pretty shaky from the get go.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
One hundred percent you're one hundred percent right, and everyone
knew it. It was just an idea that was conjured
up with the dream I've been able to capitalize on
a country in a population of one point three billion people.
It didn't work out. There was no due diligence, or
if it was, it wasn't done by anyone that you
want that two and two equals four. It just was
(04:08):
a very bad idea. And you know what it's happened before.
Remember the Tasmanian Huskies. There was another dream that they
to have an Australian team in the league that ended
exactly the same way. Bulls everywhere, debt everywhere, and we
just don't learn by our mistakes. Stick to your knitting,
stick to the teams out in New Zealand, stick to
the accredited teams that have been there for forty years,
(04:30):
and stop dreaming up new ideas.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I'm glad you said that about Justin Nelson. I get
on with the guy really well. I think what he's
done to the NBL since he's turned up has been tremendous.
So here is a splotch, a black mark, if you will,
if indeed it is traced back to him. But besides
wanting to tap into the Indian fortune, what was the
driver behind this? Do you think? Why would you even
do this and in such a hurry? That's what gets me.
(04:56):
Maybe give it six months, give it a year, find
out and then let it roll.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
But it's like that, Well, yes, Justin has done some
wonderful things when he's been has in the league, no
question about that. But the Huskies was his dream that
didn't work either. It was exactly the same as this.
Maybe it didn't happen in the middle of the season,
but the end of the season there were debts, there
were talk, There was all the same sort of stuff
they didn't want, you know, it didn't. We just don't
(05:21):
need to have an international team in our league. It's
a very small time, well respected league. Let's get things
on facts on the table. This league has been a
Division one league since nineteen eighty two worldwide, Justin Nelson's
been there for the last five years that this league
has had big, big periods of time where it was
far bigger than it is now, far bigger. I can
(05:42):
remember going to north Shore to watch with the Saints
to play noll Shore, you know, in eighty six or
eighty seven at three o'clock in an afternoon for a
seven o'clock game, there was three or four hundred people
lining up to get into the games. This is not
a new phenomenon. Basketball's the league in basketball's been huge
for a long long time.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I remember going not to Pioneer Stadium, in kel Stadium
watching the old school Cangory team back when in the day,
right in those hellcyon days. So I think he's injected
a great amount to it and coverage and the like.
This is a black mark, but let's talk bigger picture.
Nick Mills, as far as a black eye for not
only the sales NBL butt New Zealand basketball full stop.
(06:23):
This can be recovered from. This is not going to
reverberate around the basketball world. Is that this is this
we're going to get through.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
We're absolutely going to get through. But the quicker they
cut the cancer out, the less it's spread. You know,
And there's no ceo of Basketball New Zealand. Dyllan's done
the bit of a runner and gone to the breakers.
We've got on him, that's what he wants to do.
We've got no CEO at Basketball News and we don't
really really have any leadership there that can actually make
a decisions, make things happen. Everyone. You ask anyone any
(06:52):
team in the league that they ring Basketball New Zealand,
but ring the NBL and ask a.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Question, it always goes back.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I just have to ask Justin. He's left a year ago.
But they still have to ask Justin before before they
can go to the bathroom, they have to ask Justin.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Long term, it'll get through. They've got a couple of
weeks to delay this and then you believe what will
happen is that the Panthers will be exit stage left
and the game will heal. And I think if one
of the problems I have here is the game is
accelerating in popularity, especially amongst teenagers and high school kids.
(07:26):
It's going through the roof. This is the last thing
it needs, but hopefully it'll be overpowered by the surge
of the popularity for hoops.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Well, they just need to cut and get on with it.
I mean, the longer it takes to cut, the longer
the BS is going to carry on and it is.
I mean, you know, yes, last night we were the
front sports story in NBL, was the front sports story
on both news channels. Do we want that? Do we?
Actually they're not talking about how great Canterbury Rams are
this year and how looks like they can't be beaten.
(07:55):
They're not talking about, you know, the fire doing really well.
They're not talking about good stuff. They're talking about a
team not paying their bills and having trouble because that's
what the media want to talk about.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, we're terrible like that. Thanks very much for that,
Nick Mills. We need to clip that out, Andy, Nick.
Nick Mills just said the Canary Rams are a narrow,
unbeatable man that must have hurt. Thanks for your time
at Nick Mills. Let's get a quick word now from
Paven Battists, the CEO of the Panthers.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Listen, I'm hugely optimistic that we'll be back playing and
fulfill the rest of our fixtures.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
That's what I'm looking forward to. The proof of the
pudding is in the eating, and I'm not entirely sure
we'll dine out on the return of the Panthers.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to news Talks.
It'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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