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Premier League: Badminton picks up, but way behind cricket
Finally, it is happening. With the cream of contemporary badminton going under the hammer at New Delhi on Monday, officials and players must be heaving a sigh of relief as the first concrete step forward has been initiated that also puts to rest the suspense that prevailed for two years.
Hyderabad: Finally, it is happening. With the cream of contemporary badminton going under the hammer at New Delhi on Monday, officials and players must be heaving a sigh of relief as the first concrete step forward has been initiated that also puts to rest the suspense that prevailed for two years.
In a way, there is jubilation within the fraternity because after an ambitious launch in 2013, the much-touted Indian Badminton League (IBL), the shuttle version of cricketing money-spinner Indian Premier League (IPL), has been in a limbo.
Rechristened as Premier Badminton League (PBL) after the issue went to court, among several avoidable blunders, Monday’s developments will imply that the world’s best will seek to corner glory for their respective teams to ring in the New Year with renewed hope. The six-team $one million PBL will commence at Mumbai on January 2 and culminate with a grand finale exactly a fortnight later.
That Saina Nehwal and Lee Chong Wei went for a whopping $100,000 is least bit surprising given their stardom and their ability to draw crowds. It is a good augury that players like P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth could command exorbitant bids, $95,000 and $80,000 respectively.
Even as the players will take time to come out of the euphoria, it will make for economic sense if PBL is taken as a comparative case study vis-à-vis IPL from the stables of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
One gets this gut feeling that the Badminton Association of India (BAI), which, like BCCI is mired in all sorts of dubious controversies, has miles to go when it comes to organisational acumen and stonewalling abilities that come naturally to the policy makers lording over world cricket’s Big Brother.
Of course, PBL is fetching the players the sort of money that they could never dream of even three years back. On that count, IPL has had a major impact on various other disciplines, including badminton, boxing, hockey, tennis, volleyball and the rugged Indian sport, kabaddi, whose PKL is being lapped up by sponsors of every ilk.
Looking at the larger picture and in terms of monetary benefits what these players earn is pittance compared to even a second-grade cricketer who features in IPL auction. The positive signal is that there has been a healthy beginning, a la Kerry Packer and Bukhatir for the gentleman’s game decades ago. There is always this expectation that a similar upswing could get translated in badminton. After all, hope springs eternal.
Leaving aside the positives, it is pertinent that BAI addresses the entire gamut of issues in the required perspective. Their very second edition ran into trouble, consequent to which the league was shelved much to the chagrin of the professional shuttlers, who saw moneybags being snatched away from right under their nose.
In contrast, even though the second edition of IPL was in potential trouble because of general elections, a no-nonsense guy like Lalit Modi defied the establishment and moved the event out of Indian shores. BAI president Akhilesh Das Gupta can never afford such a daring step because of various factors, including the fact that they are extended privileges by the government.
What should not miss the eye is that BCCI honoured its commitment and continued the jamboree. It is this seriousness and professionalism of BCCI that is found wanting within the BAI administration. Even a look at the franchise ownership shows that BAI has not been able to retain the trust of the owners.
Four of the six teams have new owners. Defending champions Hyderabad Hotshots have made way for Hyderabad Hunters, which is unthinkable in IPL, where teams with dubious ownerships and those with mala-fide interests have been thrown out.
The wiliest of BCCI brains must be shocked at the manner Saina and Wei were ‘bought’ by Awadh Warriors and Hyderabad in pre-auction bidding that was almost like staging midnight coups.
Well, to the fans of the sport, such backdoor operations will mean nothing as long as the players deliver top-grade excitement once PBL gets going. And that is the jolly good news.
