Indian Badminton league can rewrite history
There have been many glorious chapters in India's badminton history. The triumphs of Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand, and, more recently, Saina Nehwal, have all contributed to the growth of the sport and over the years cultivated a number of promising shuttlers in the country. Yet, arguably, the most dazzling chapter in Indian badminton has been scripted on July 22. That is the day the Indian Badminton league officially got underway. On Monday, 66 badminton players from India and abroad were auctioned off to six city-based teams that will face one another over a period of two weeks in August. India's favourite Nehwal was placed with the team from her hometown, Hyderabad Hotshots, while the Malaysian and world number one lee Chong Wei, who commanded the highest price, went to Mumbai Masters. Dubbed ‘icon players', the duo's participation in the tournament, alongside other star players such as Ashwini Ponappa and Jwala Gutta, has already pushed IBl into the big league. Badminton has always been one of the most popular sports in the country, yet it has rarely received the same level of attention at the professional level that, say, cricket has. This, of course, is true for every sport in India since cricket dominates the arena; but that’s gradually changing.
It is in this context that a tournament such as the IBl makes all the difference. First, it infuses much needed-money power into the sport. The IBl kitty, for instance, is worth a million dollars. This makes it one of the world's richest badminton leagues — even before a single match has been played. Such money power has a visible impact at many levels. For the players, it means enhanced financial security and the incentive to perform better. For the sport in general, it improves its ability to attract and retain the best of talent; provide better training and development facilities to players; and also invest in future players. Second, an IBl-style tournament that brings together national and international players is particularly beneficial to younger players who will be exposed to the world's best and be better prepared to compete on the international stage. Finally, an event such as this creates a buzz around the sport — from being relegated to a capsule on the sports page, today, badminton is making headlines again. Translating this buzz into tangible popular support will be the biggest test for the IBl. Will it bring people out to the stadiumsIJ Will it grab eyeballs on televisionIJ We won't know until August, but if the success of similar initiatives such as the Hockey India league is anything to go by, there is reason to hope. A note of caution, though: IBl is based on the Indian Premier league format which has raked in the moolah for players and cricket officials alike, but it has also become the crucible of greed and corruption that has somehow stolen the spirit of what was a gentleman's game. One can only hope that the Indian Badminton league will not go down that route.