India will launch a professional basketball league by the end of 2007 as it looks to grow the sport across the country.

The Basketball Federation of India (BFI) has also finalised the appointment of Serbian Aleksandar Bucan as national coach, its secretary Harish Sharma told Reuters on Monday.

"We have completed the technical part for the league and are working on marketing," he said. "So far the response (from sponsors) has been OK."

The initial plan was to launch the league with around eight to 12 teams and the sport's world governing body were backing the idea, Sharma said.

Basketball is popular in many pockets of the cricket-mad nation, but lack of professional coaching and a paucity of quality indoor venues have prevented its growth in the past.

Thousands of young fans follow NBA action thanks to live telecasts of matches.

"Bucan will help train Indian coaches on European methods," Sharma said. "We've good talent, but in coaching we still follow old methods.

"We need to change the mindset and refresh our system."