Bengaluru, India: At just 13 years old, Md Mustafa has emerged as one of India’s brightest young cue sports talents. A multiple Karnataka Junior Champion in Billiards and Snooker and currently ranked India No. 5 in Junior Snooker, Mustafa recently won the National Silver Medal at the Junior National Heyball Championship, despite competing in his first major Heyball event with a borrowed cue.
Mustafa’s journey took a significant turn in May 2026 when his father brought him to the Heyball Academy, Bengaluru to train under Coach Pranit Ramchandani. Since then, Mustafa has been undergoing structured coaching in Snooker and Heyball, with Coach Pranit refining his cue action, stance, alignment, fundamentals, shot selection, positional play, tactical awareness and overall understanding of cue sports.
Determined to bring world class cue sports coaching to India, Coach Pranit Ramchandani travelled extensively to the United Kingdom and Belgium, learning directly under internationally renowned coach Chris Henry. After completing the Chris Henry Level 1 Coach Certification in the United Kingdom and the advanced Level 2 Coach Certification in Belgium, Pranit partnered with Chris Henry to launch India’s first Chris Henry Coach Certification Program and India’s first Chris Henry Player Intensive Training Program at the Heyball Academy, Bengaluru.
Recognising Mustafa’s rapid progress across multiple cue sports, Coach Pranit selected him for the Chris Henry Player Intensive Training Program, where he trained directly under Chris Henry while continuing his long term development in Snooker, Heyball and overall cue sports under Coach Pranit.
The Junior National Heyball Championship was held in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, bringing together many of India’s finest young Heyball players from across the country. The championship concluded providing a national platform for the next generation of cue sports athletes to compete at the highest level.
Mustafa travelled to the Junior National Heyball Championship having trained in Heyball for only a handful of sessions under Coach Pranit, who introduced Heyball to India in 2024 by organizing the inaugural World Junior Heyball Championship in Bengaluru under the World Pool Association and who represented India by winning a Bronze Medal at the WCBS World Team Championship.
With limited experience in the discipline and without owning a Heyball cue, Mustafa borrowed one from a friend and entered the tournament hoping to gain valuable competitive experience.
Instead, he produced one of the championship’s standout performances, defeating several experienced opponents to reach the final of the Junior National Heyball Championship.
In the final, Mustafa once again showcased exceptional cueing, tactical awareness and remarkable
fighting spirit. In a high quality and closely contested match, he matched his talented peer from Maharashtra throughout before narrowly missing out on the title. His outstanding performance earned him the National Silver Medal in his very first major Heyball tournament and announced the arrival of one of India’s most exciting young cue sports prospects.
Mustafa’s journey has also been supported by his father, Sajjad Ahmed, who owns multiple snooker clubs across Bengaluru. Since introducing Mustafa to cue sports at the age of 10, Sajjad has provided him with countless hours of practice and competitive experience while his structured technical development continues under Coach Pranit at the Heyball Academy.
Coach Pranit Ramchandani said:
“From our very first session, I could see Mustafa possessed exceptional talent and an incredible willingness to learn. Watching him progress from refining his fundamentals to winning the National Silver Medal with a borrowed cue has been incredibly rewarding. I believe he has all the qualities required to become one of India’s finest cue sports players.”
As Mustafa continues his journey, the goal is to develop into a complete multi discipline cue sports athlete, capable of competing for National, Asian and World Championship titles in Snooker, Heyball and other cue sports disciplines. Under the guidance of Coach Pranit Ramchandani, he continues to receive structured coaching in Snooker and Heyball, building the technical, tactical and mental foundations required to succeed at the highest level across multiple cue sports.
From first walking into the Heyball Academy in search of better coaching to standing on the National podium with a borrowed cue, Md Mustafa’s story is a powerful reminder of what can be achieved through talent, family support, world class coaching and relentless dedication. At just 13 years old, his journey is only just beginning.
