GUWAHATI: Eight World Championsip medallists. Nine Olympic medallists, World No 1 from both the men’s and women’s corner and a total purse of `6 crore.The Premier Badminton League — held under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India and organised by Sportzlive — is making serious headway in India. With top players from around the world, the league is shuttling towards the right direction, something that Prasad Mangipudi, SportzLive executive director, agrees with.
“This is India’s No 1 performing Olympic sport. So many shuttlers have been doing well now. So, the league is a necessary to meet the standards of the players. With (PV) Sindhu, Saina, (Kidambi) Srikanth and HS Prannoy performing week after week, we feel this sport has great potential,” he told Express. The aforementioned four were some of the top buys in the auction earlier. In fact, Prannoy fetched `62 lakh.
The architects of the PBL are trying to hold it across various zones to draw more supporters. “Apart from cricket, no other league has that connect. Badminton is widely accepted and we believe this league will expand the game,” Prasad said. The biggest challenge for them has been to find a suitable window the league.
For Srikanth, it’s an ideal platform to get practice ahead of a rigorous season. “We have this league at the start of the year. So it gives confidence to get match-practice,” he said.Bengaluru Blasters’ Mathius Boe, who is playing for the second time, feels the league can grow further. “PBL is a great concept for the players. You get to learn a lot,” Boe, who is one of the 39 overseas players in fray, remarked. “Yes there’s room for improvement. But it’s getting better,” Boe observed.
Money is obviously a key factor motivating foreigners to join the PBL bandwagon. “We play for two weeks and earn a good salary. We deserve it as we bring our best game,” Boe reasoned.
Keeping in mind the future it is mandatory for each team to have one junior player.
Day’s results : Chennai Smashers 3-4 Awadhe Warriors. MD: Chris Adcock/Gabby Adcock (Smashers) lost to Tang Chun Man/Christinna Pedersen (Warriors) 1-2; MS: Daniel S Farid (Smashers) lost to Parupali Kashyap (Warriors) 0-2 (Trump); MS: Brice Leverdez (Smashers) lost to Kidambi Srikanth (Warriors) 0-2; MD: Chris Adcock/Yang Lee (Smashers) bt Hendra Setiawan/Or Chin Chung (Warriors) 2-1. PV Sindhu (Smashers) bt Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka 2-0.
anmol@newindianexpress.com