Action unfolds today for the 18 day show
All the pieces have fallen into place and the riddle called Indian Badminton league (IBl) is ready to start its first chapter on Tuesday. The richest badminton league in the world, with a prize purse of $1 million, took a long time to start but, now, all the postponements seem like a blessing in disguise for the league. With almost no cricket in this month and PV Sindhu’s bronze medal in World Championship recently, the time chosen to launch this ambitious league couldn’t be better. Sindhu has joined the likes of Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa in the growing list of Indian badminton players who have been doing well at the international stage.
Started on the lines of the Indian Premier league (IPl), the IBl could prove to be a game changer for badminton in India. The tried and tested concept of bringing together India’s best players and teaming them up with international stars like Taufik Hidayat and Juliane Schank would provide young players with vital exposure to different techniques and game plans. Also, competing against the best players from other countries will boost their confidence.
FAST-PACED game
The new scoring system makes it an exciting format as the players would feel motivated to play aggressively. With two breaks of 90 seconds - after 7 and 14 points - instead of one in each of the first two games, players will have more energy to invest in each point. There is another twist in the tale if the match goes to the decider. While the first two games will be a race to 21 points, the player who reaches first to 11 points in the decider will be the winner. The standard two-point gap rule has been omitted for the IBl.
“The new scoring system would be interesting. It remains to be seen how the players take it. It’s going to make the games more competitive and open. Anyone can beat anyone. In a way it gives the players a level playing field. A lot of strategy will go into the match,” Hyderabad Hotshot coach Rajinder Kumar said.
FINAl HURDlE
A lot of credit for bringing this league into reality goes to the organisers who had to overcome many hurdles, including logistical, financial and organisational, but the real challenge still awaits them - the challenge to bring spectators to the courts. For, it is the number of spectators that decide the success of an event not the money involved in it.
Said london Olympics silver medalist Mathias Boe, “The stadiums need to be packed; the atmosphere needs to be good; the facilities in the stadium need to top-class and the whole league should be as professional as possible, the combination of all these things is required to make an event big. Of course, you need money to attract big stars but that’s not the only thing because the top players are getting good money at international level.”But for now, it is time to celebrate the initiative.