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Bigger teams, more internationals for IBL 2014

NEW DELHI, 31 March, 2013. – The second edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) will be held between September 30, 2024 and October 15, 2014. The decision has been taken by the IBL Governing Council here today. The governing council has also decided to allow franchisees to increase the team strength from the 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. Last year, too, players had reached Delhi directly from Guangzhou, China, after participating 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,” said the Badminton Association of India President and IBL Governing Council Chairman, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta.

“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 that “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 unprecedented 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,” says Sporty Solutionz Chief Exectuive, Mr Ashish Chadha. “The new season will be packed with many more surprises for players and sport lovers alike. The league is also all set to have more stars than the last year,” Mr Chadha added.
This is one window where world’s best players are available. Considering their interest in the IBL, this is the best period to conduct the league.The league will be played in Six Indian cities – Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. For each city the league is going to be a new experience all together with more competition, more entertainment and more value additions.

About BAI

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body for badminton in India. BAI is an association registered under the Societies Act and affiliated to the Badminton World Federation, Badminton Asia Confederation and the Indian Olympic Association. BAI was formed in 1934 and has been holding the national-level tournaments in India since 1936. BAI conducts international tournaments in India like Indian Open Super Series, Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold, national championships, selects national teams and conducts camps for Olympic Games, World Championships, looks after training of technical officials, and takes path-breaking initiatives like Indian Badminton League to promote the sport. The BAI has also won the right to host prestigious Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Team Championships this year.

About Sporty Solutionz

Sporty Solutionz (P) Ltd are the commercial partners for the Indian Badminton League. The company has also inked a deal with the Wrestling Federation of India to set up and conduct the Indian Wrestling League. The company was accorded the Best Management Company Award by the FICCI for successful conduct of the IBL. Sporty Solutionz is India’s leading TV Rights, licensing and management company and has been associated with almost all the premier sporting events in the India like the IPL, Euro 2012, SLPL, BPL, FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches, etc. Based in Noida (NCR), Sporty Solutionz also specialises in Sports Television Production, Events, Talent Management, Sports PR and Operations.