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Vimal Kumar has had a long innings as player, coach and organiser for over three decades, but even he appeared surprised by the changes heralded by the Indian Badminton League.
The launch function for the Bangalore team’s logo had spruced up the staid venue and offered a glimpse of what the IBL could offer. It was a world of difference from events called to announce state or national ranking tournaments.
“I have been involved with badminton for a long time, but this is a totally different thing,” said Vimal, who shared the dais with Indian doubles star Ashwini Ponnappa, Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, Bangalore team CEO Vijay Lancy, team promoters and officials of the Karnataka Badminton Association.
He continued, “I’m looking forward to it. The IBL will bring put the limelight on badminton. We know the problems badminton face regarding sponsorship, but even then Indian badminton has improved. The gap between Indian and international players has closed… more corporate support is a good sign, and I’m very happy.
“But just the league is not going to improve badminton. A lot of work needs to be done by state and district associations at the grassroots level. Good performances from our players have made the difference.”
The Bangalore team – named Banga Beats – was bought by the BOP Group, which has interests in real estate. Karan Chaudhri, GM Marketing of BOP Group, said it had decided to invest in badminton because the sport was the right fit for its business. “Badminton is very close to the business we do,” he said. “Because every family plays badminton, and it’s our first step into sports. We have engagements planned, such as school tournaments, camps, and so on. We’ll also be looking at setting up infrastructure at our projects.”
The stars of the evening were Bangalore girl and doubles international Ashwini Ponnappa and Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, who apparently plays badminton regularly. “It’s very exciting,” said Ashwini. “We’ve seen how well the IPL has been doing. We definitely know it’s going to get badminton more mileage. With matches in six cities, more people will get a chance to see top badminton matches.”
A note from the team owners said they had chosen the name ‘Banga Beats’ as “we wanted to give badminton the fun it deserves… Banga means party hard. And Beats is the beat of music.”
Former India international and team CEO Vijay Lancy said the IBL would usher in hope for Indian badminton. “It is heartening that companies like BOP have used badminton as a branding platform,” Lancy said, adding that he hoped Ashwini would be part of the Bangalore team.
