Mumbai : The Premier Badminton League India tournament had started from 2nd January 2016. It will be concluded with the finale on 17th January 2016. There will be total of 18 matches in this mega tournament which includes two semi-finals and one final match. The grand finale of PBL will be hosted by New Delhi.
Similar to Pro Kabbadi League, Star Sports has signed up as the title sponsor for the Premier Badminton League India which will see the world’s top shuttlers square off in India’s largest badminton tournament. The sport is central to Star Sports’ strategy to foster a multi-sport culture in the country.
The 50 shutters had been auctioned for PBL 2016 event which is being owned by six franchises. Star shuttler Saina Nehwal is currently world N0. 2, while others like PV Sindhu, 12th in the standings, and K Srikanth, 9th overall, have also made their mark on the sport. Star Sports has already signed up as the League’s official broadcast partner.
Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India, said, “The success of India’s badminton stars internationally has led to the emergence of a passionate fan base back home. As a result, like kabaddi, badminton is now a sport that’s very close to the hearts of Indian fans. The prospect of our home heroes facing up against the best the world has to offer in our own backyard was a prospect that was too tempting to pass up. Strategically, it also made the most business sense for Star Sports given our efforts to create a vibrant sporting ecosystem in the country.”
Star Sports plans to introduce several innovative broadcast initiatives to the League in its efforts to forge a deeper engagement with fans and place them right in the thick of this fast-paced sport. The broadcaster will project telemetry like players’ heart rates live on screen. It will also hand out four awards after each day of play for the best rally, the fastest smash, the player of the day and the fan of the day as selected through contests run by franchises across locations. The league will be packaged like no other badminton tournament has been before, with lights and music adding further dazzle to an already riveting and star-studded spectacle.
Tweaks to the rules, like unpredictable player draws, ‘Trump Matches’ – which are worth bonus points – and the newly-introduced ‘sudden death’ rule will add a further dose of excitement to the tournament.
Following are the list of six franchises and its owners:
- Mumbai Rockets owned by Devyani Leisures Pvt. Ltd. (Mumbai)
- Awadh Warriors owned by Sahara India (Lucknow)
- Delhi Acers owned by Infinite Computer Solutions (Delhi)
- Chennai Smashers owned by The Wones Pvt. Ltd. (Chennai)
- Bengaluru Top Guns owned by BrandPrix Consulting Pvt. Ltd. (Bangalore)
- Hyderabad Hunters owned by Agile Security Force Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad)
