Bengawan Solo Knights Are Confident In Facing IBL 2025

The launch of the Kesatria Bengawan Solo team in Jakarta on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 (VOI/Cosmas Kopong Beda).

JAKARTA The Kesatria Bengawan Solo basketball club is in very high confidence to face the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) for the 2025 competition season.

Kesatria, who is a new team at the highest level of the Indonesian basketball league, has just launched the composition of their squad to face the new season in Jakarta on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.

The head coach of Kesatria Bengawan Solo, Erfi Meldi, said that the strength of the players they currently have is more than enough to compete with other teams.

"I am optimistic about this season and confident in this season to reach the final target of management. I and the players also agreed to get to the final," he said.

In the 2025 season, it is certain that the Bengawan Solo sector will no longer be strengthened by Kentrell Barkley. The team's management decided not to call this name because it was still covered in injury.

Barkley recorded a big role for Kesatria last season. Unfortunately, the injury forced him to miss the 2024 IBL Playoff, the last place the Solo team managed to follow.

Meldi admits Barkley's absence is a big loss for his team. However, he feels his team is currently very solid and the competition towards the final is so open to them.

"From me, the team is different now from last year, we are now much more prepared. We have 11 trials."

"So, from me and the coaching team, we feel that we are much more prepared for the 2025 season," he said.

To face the 2025 season, Kesatria Bengawan brought in four new local players. They are Abraham Wenas, Ponsianus Nyoman Indrawan, Indra Muhammad, and Randy Prasetya.

The names will join other local provinces, such as Kevin Moses, Nuke Tri Saputra, and Samuel Devin Susanto.

In addition, this team also strengthened foreign ranks, namely Travin Thibodeaux, William Artino, and Dayon Griffin. Anthony Metten, a naturalized player from Indonesia, also joined forces to increase the depth of the team.

The IBL match this season is still using a home-and-away format which has started since last season. The series of the highestlevve matches in the Indonesian basketball league will begin on January 11, 2025.

TheNESS of Bengawan Solo will start their journey with an away match against Rans Simba Bogor. The clash was held at the Vocational School Gymnasium IPB at 14.00 WIB.