New Delhi: The second edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) will be held from September 30 to October 15, the IBL Governing Council said today.
The governing council has decided to allow franchisees to increase the team strength from 11 in the first year to 13 players. Each franchisee can pick two more players - Indian or foreign - which will further intensify the competition.
"Badminton competition at the 2014 Asian Games gets over on the 29th of September, 2014. Players can directly fly-in from Incheon for the league," said the Badminton Association of India President and IBL Governing Council Chairman, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta.
"Last year, too, players had reached Delhi directly from Guangzhou, China, after taking part in the World Badminton Championships. This period ensures us the right opportunity to have world`s best players for the IBL, which already has created a buzz the world over.
"Our success last year had made our counterparts in international federations more confident about the league. This year more countries and more stars are eager to join us," added the BAI chief.
Dr Das Gupta, who is also a member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) executive council and a vice-president at the Badminton Asia Confederation, said: "BWF is very impressed with the IBL and want to know more about it. They consider India a very important country and what can get bigger than the fact that the BWF Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held here during the Thomas and Uber Cup."
The first edition of the IBL, held between 14-31 August, 2013, was won by PVP Ventures-owned Hyderabad Hotshots. The team captain Saina Nehwal had remained unconquered in all the seven ties on her way to the title triumph.
"Following the success of the inaugural IBL, many top players are already approaching us for this year`s event. To ensure that world`s best are available for IBL 2014, the IBL Governing Council has decided to make the most of this window," said Sporty Solutionz Chief Exectuive, Ashish Chadha.
The league will be played in Six Indian cities - Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.