Badminton Association of India Gives Green Signal for Indian Badminton League

After the success of Indian Volleyball League following the lines of IPL, Badminton in India is set to add a new chapter in its growing popularity and reputation by organizing Indian Badminton League which will see international and national stars playing together.

The Badminton Association of India on Wednesday agreed to the proposal of the Maharashtra Badminton Association and has already given the green signal. The dates and format of the league will be finalized later this month. “We will be targeting February-March next year,” MBA secretary Sunder Shetty said from Lucknow.

The Maharashtra Badminton Association has been mulling over the idea of organizing such event after the success of Maharashtra Badminton League held earlier this year. The MBL was a six team affair with six Marathi actresses roped in as the Brand Ambassador of the six teams to provide the glamour quotient.

With support from the Badminton Associations of Thane and Pune, under the aegis of the MBA, the tournament was promoted by Haveli Taluka Badminton Association. However the Indian Badminton League will be major step up from the state league and the budget is estimated to be around Rs 50 to 60 lakh.

“It will have national as well as international players. We’re expecting the budget to be around Rs 50 to 60 lakh (Rs 5-6 million). We will have to market the tournament to attract sponsors,” Shetty said.

Though the venue for the Mega event hasn’t been decided yet, the city’s WIE Sports Complex which hosted the MBL is the likely venue with Pune District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) joint secretary Uday Sane already offering the venue and facilities for use.

“We will be more than happy to be a part of the league. We are capable of conducting the league on our own. We have the infrastructure and sponsors,” Sane told a leading daily.