LAHORE, Dec 26: The 47th national men’s basketball championship commences on Thursday at the Railways Stadium, Lahore.

According to Nasim Butt, secretary, Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBF), the event would be participated by some 18 teams that would be divided into five groups.

The nine-day competition, to be played on league basis, will have Pakistan Army defending its title. The other teams include Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Navy, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Police, Railways, Wapda, Habib Bank Limited (HBL), POF Wah, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), Pakistan Rangers, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, NWFP, Islamabad, Fata and Azad Jammu Kashmir.