Indian Badminton League : Auctions

[Sidhoni]

Star players Saina Nehwal and Lee Chong Wei fetched whopping prices of USD 120,000 and USD 135,000 respectively, while unheralded Pradnya Gadre and K Maneesha received unexpected high bids in the players' auction of the USD one million Indian Badminton League here on Monday. (Saina happy, Kashyap will miss 'home') The London Olympic bronze medallist Saina was bought by Hyderabad Hotshots for approximately Rs 71,27,796 after beating the bids of Lucknow Warriors and Pune Pistons in the much-awaited auction where over 150 players went under the hammer for 66 slots to fill six teams. Each team will have six Indians, four foreigners and one Indian junior player each. ('Success of IBL auction proves growing popularity of sport') World number one Lee Chong Wei, however, bagged the costliest deal when he was bought by Mumbai Masters for approximately Rs 8,019,032. The Mumbai franchise beat the bids of Banga Beats and Krrish Delhi Smashers. (The full list of auctioned players) Saina, one of the six icon players with base price of USD 50,000 (Rs 29,86,264), had stated that she would prefer to be either in Hyderabad or Lucknow team with a slight tilt towards her hometown. (Auction - as it happened) Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Parupalli Kashyap, also an icon player, was picked up by Banga Beats for USD 75,000 (Rs 4,455,622 approx), while rising star P V Sindhu was the big buy netted by Lucknow Warriors for USD 80,000 (Rs 4,752,664 approx). In another interesting bidding war between Bangalore and Hyderabad, doubles player Pradnya Gadre fetched a whopping USD 46,000 after starting with a base price of USD 10,000, while little-known Maneesha was sold at USD 26,000, more than six times her base price of USD 4000. Commonwealth Games women's doubles champions Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa went to Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons respectively at USD 31,000 (Rs 18,51,520) and USD 25,000 (14,93,125) after their base price was reduced from USD 50,000 to USD 25,000 following a meeting of all the franchises at the last moment. "Last night we had a closed bidding but then two players Jwala and Ashwini went unsold, so it was scrapped and it was decided that their base price be slashed to USD 25,000 and all icon players should be put under the hammer at the auction," said Ashish Chadha, CEO of Sporty Solutionz, the commercial partner of IBL. "Since Jwala and Ashwini were signed as icon players keeping in mind the women's doubles, which was later replaced with another men's singles player, the IBL decided to safeguard their interest by paying them the deficit amount and give them a chance to fetch a bigger amount in the auction," said Chadha. World number seven Vietnamese Tinh Minh Nyugen and world number four German Juliane Schenk were bought by Pune at USD 44,000 and USD 90,000 after starting at a base price of USD 25,000 and USD 50,000. Among others, Akshay Dewalkar (USD 36,000), Sai Praneeth (USD 40,000), V Diju (USD 30,000), Pranav Jerry Chopra (USD 36,000), Arun Vishnu (USD 26,000) and K Srikanth (USD 34,000) also fetched interesting deals at the auction, which was postponed twice in the past. The six franchise owners, who had a cap on their bid spending of USD 275,000, however, didn't show any interest in Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana (ranked fourth), Japan's Kenechi Tago (ranked fifth), Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto (ranked eighth) and Sony Dwi Kuncoro (ranked 10th) as they will not be available for the entire tournament, which will be held from August 14 to 31. "I am disappointed because it took a lot for us to get this players on board but I can understand the franchises point of view. They also can't help as these players are not available for the entire event," Chadha said. All the six franchises -- PVP Group (Hyderabad), BOP Group (Bangalore), Krrish Group (Delhi), Sahara (Lucknow), Burman family (Pune) and consortium of cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, Telugu film star Akkineni Nagarjuna and former cricketer V Chamundeshwarnath (Mumbai) were satisfied with their buys. "Kashyap was a good buy for us at that price. We wanted Gadre and we had aggressively bid for her but then we had to let her go. But we got Aparna Balan for USD 12,000, which is good. Overall I am happy," said Vimal Kumar, coach of Banga Beats. Delhi smashers coach Rashid Sidek said: "We have quite a balanced team, I wanted Lee Chong Wei as I am his coach and he is the world number one. But we got Jwala. We have to get Jwala train harder to regain fitness. She and Diju can help us win the mixed doubles." Rajeev Kamineni, executive director Rajeev Kamineni of PVP group, was also happy to get Saina and former world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat in his Hyderabad team. "I'm happy to have two players, Saina and Taufik, who have captured the imagination of Indian badminton. We had the best possible combination," he said. Interestingly, Hyderabad had exhausted their purse with one player still left to buy so they released Rohit Yadav (USD 5000) and settled for Kanthi Visalakshi P and Shubhankar Dey for USD 3000 each. Pune Pistons coach Nikhil Kanetkar said: "We had to have a balance team. When we had Ashwini, we had to get Joachim Fischer Nielsen. We had to fight hard for Juliane and we are happy to get her." The auction also had a dash of glitz and glamour with two-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza, Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang and actor Nagarjuna present at the over six-hour long auction, which was conducted by London-based auctioneer Bob Hayton. The Player's auction also had its share of chaos and confusion as some of the details of the players screened during the auction were wrong. The BAI and BWF ranking of some of the players were mixed up, while some players were put in women's doubles section even as there is no such category in the tweaked IBL format. Also, the print out of the player's list that was distributed to the reporters, had Lee Chong Wei's nationality given as Indian. Meanwhile, Lucknow Warriors owners Sahara India Pariwar said that they would change the name of their team to Awadh Warriors. "We will change the name of the team to Awadh Warriors but we will make a formal announcement later on," an official of Sahara India Pariwar said.

[adi B]

jwala gutta and ashwini ponappa are crying foul for the money they have been auctioned

[maniac]

Team Hyderabad Looks solid :isalute:

[Sidhoni]

jwala gutta and ashwini ponappa are crying foul for the money they have been auctioned

Yeah they say their base price was reduced

[carnish]

Indian Badminton League: STAR Sports2, ESPN to be Host Broadcasters

The Indian Badminton League (IBL), which will be held from 14-31 August, will be broadcast live on STAR Sports channels STAR Sports2 and ESPN channels. All the 150 shutters in 90 matches, including 10 games of semi-finals and five ties during the final, will be shown live on these STAR Sports channels. "We strongly believe that Indian fans would love to consume non-cricket sports as well if the product is packaged well, communicated and presented in an interesting manner," chief operating officer of ESPN Software India Vijay Rajput told PTI. "The IBL fits in well with our overall strategy. It is a unique concept and has the potential of attracting a large fan base for badminton across the country given the presence of the best of national and international talent." The IBL, which will have the playing vying for a $1 million purse, is projected as a 'growth path' for Indian badminton stars, for they will be exposed to top players from around the world on a single platform. Speaking on anointing STAR Sports as the host broadcaster, Sporty Solutionz (the commercial partner of IBL) CEO Ashish Chadha said, "It's a smashing platform for IBL and badminton as a sport to be telecast LIVE on one of the biggest broadcasters in the world of sport. I congratulate STAR Sports on this association." The initiative by Badminton Association of India (BAI) has six franchisee teams - Mumbai Masters, Delhi Smashers, Awadhe Warriors, Hyderabad Hotshots, Banga Beats and Pune Pistons. BAI President Akhilesh Das Gupta welcomed STAR Sports in the IBL fraternity, "I'm confident that the LIVE telecast of IBL on STAR Sports2 and ESPN will take quality badminton action to millions of homes in India and further boost the game of badminton," he told the news agency. Soon after the World Championships in Guangzhou, China, held from 5-11 August, the IBL will begin. Krrish Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons will play the first and inaugural match of the IBL in Delhi.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/articles/495030/20130728/ibl-badminton-league-india-live-telecast-schedule.htm

[carnish]

Cramped IBL itinerary could affect preparation

Tournament will start within three days of the World Championships, giving franchises and players very little time to know each other. Indian badminton has just raked in the moolah, but already parallels are being drawn with the IPL. But, while the IPL franchises adopt a hard-line where the pre-tournament camps, preparation and team bonding are concerned, the same cannot be said about the Indian Badminton League (IBL). The IBL schedule seems just too cramped. It’ll be held within three days of the World Championships (August 5-11) in Guangzhou, China, and there would hardly be any time for the franchises and players to know each other. There could be a situation where a player — foreigner in most cases — could arrive just on the eve of the tournament, or even on the first day. BAI vice-president (administration) TPS Puri said that August 14-31 were the only dates available for IBL. “All the franchises are very happy with the schedule. Everyone demanded that it should be held after the World Championships. Many countries were not willing to release their players for the IBL if it were to be held before the Worlds,†Puri said. Since the tournament will be held in the second half of August, Indian fans will be denied the privilege of watching the Chinese shuttlers in action. China are not sending their players as they don't want to miss their National Games, a quadrennial event that will be held in the north-eastern province of Liaoning from August 31 to September 12. Puri said: “They (China) have their own national games. They had not planned for our IBL. Maybe, China will participate next year.†Vimal Kumar, coach of Bangalore's Banga Beats and former chief national coach, felt China’s presence “would certainly have made the competition a lot betterâ€. “They have some of the best players, and the IBL would have benefitted from them,†he said. He agreed that the IBL schedule was a little cramped. “With the World Championships ending on August 11, players would have to assemble in New Delhi for the inauguration on 13th. Many of the teams might not be able to try out their combinations. That will be an issue with the teams. Also, if world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, bought by Mumbai Masters for $1,35,000, goes on to win the title, there will be a huge celebration in Malaysia and that might delay his arrival in India for the IBL." Banga Beats have seven of their 10 players participating in the World Championships, and Vimal is one of the affected coaches. However, the badminton fraternity is relieved that the IBL is finally seeing the light of day. They believe it’s matter of time before the other teething issues are resolved.

http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/1864760/report-cramped-ibl-itinerary-could-affect-preparation

[carnish]

IBL ANNOUNCES YONEX AS THE ‘EQUIPMENT PARTNER’ FOR THE LEAGUE

July 25, 2013, New Delhi: The $1-million Indian Badminton League, an initiative by the Badminton Association of India and Sporty Solutionz, has announced Yonex as the Equipment Partner for the League. Speaking on the association, Mr Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz, the ‘Commercial Partner’ for IBL, said, “It’s a matter of pride for Indian Badminton League to announce Yonex as the Equipment Partner. They are known for their world-class technology that they incorporate in all their equipments which sets them apart and adds value to the players’ performance. With them as the Equipment Partner we are assured of the fact that we have the most paramount tools for the League.†Speaking on the association, Mr Vikram Dhar, Managing Director, Yonex Sunrise India, “We would like to congratulate Badminton Association of India for organizing the IBL and we are proud to be the official equipment supplier for this tournament. We wish everybody associated with IBL all the best and we will ensure that we will provide the best equipment in the world for the tournament as its official equipment supplier and also ensure all support which is required to make it a huge success.†Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President & MP said, “We welcome Yonex to the IBL family. We look forward to a strong and successful association and their presence will add a huge goodwill to the League.†The $1-million Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action expected between Krrish Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons. The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours of LIVE “family entertainment†which will also be viewed by a significant international audience. The matches will be held during late afternoon and evening to coincide with prime time television and providing a convenient time for the stadium audience. The LIVE IN-stadia entertainment, combined with high-octane on-court action is expected to further hook viewers onto this new adrenalin packed LIVE family entertainment format attracting a much younger fan base, which also includes women and children. The top four franchises in the League will clash in the semifinals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31, which will be played out in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament in badminton till now.

http://www.indianbadmintonleague.co/indian-badminton-league-announces-yonex-as-the-equipment-partner-for-the-league/

[carnish]

Ashwini Ponnappa excited to be a part of 'wonderful' IBL

Ashwini Ponnappa is ready for a busy month of August. First, the World Championship in Guangzhou followed by Indian Badminton League (IBL). IBL's icon player, Ashwini is currently sweating it out in Bangalore in preparation for the World Championship in China. As she is focused on the Chinese sojourn, the 23-year-old's mind is also occupied with the inaugural IBL. Badminton is the latest sport in the country to go the franchise way. It started with cricket in 2008 when Indian Premier League (IPL) was born. Five years later, IBL is unveiled with $1 million on offer for six teams. When OneIndia contacted Ashwini to know her views on the new league, the Bangalorean felt it should work and do good for the racquet sport as it has done to cricket. "I feel it should work. We have to wait and see how it goes. It should be good for the sport. It has helped cricket. Hope badminton too will pick it up on this league," said Ashwini. Ashwini, a doubles' specialist will be wearing Pune Pistons jersey this year. Just after the IBL auction, there was controversy as Ashwini's base price was halved from $50,000 without informing her. In the players' auction, Pune purchased Ashwini for $25,000. Having expressed her displeasure at the turn of events, Ashwini has now left that episode behind and is concentrating on a good performance on the court. The 2010 Commonwealth Games doubles gold medalist said she is "excited" and looking forward to be part of IBL which commences in Delhi on August 14. The final will be in Mumbai on August 31. "I am excited. I am looking forward to play the league," said Ashwini, who along with Jwala Gutta, created history for India in 2011 by winning the women's doubles bronze at the World Championship. The mix of Indian and foreign players in IBL is an "wonderful experience" for Ashwini. "It will be a wonderful experience. It is a platform to interact with other (foreign) players and get to know them better. It is good for us. It will also help us have nice friendship at the end of the league," she explained. Bangalore's team - Banga Beats will certainly miss Ashwini. Even their coach U Vimal Kumar said recently that she would have added value to the franchise. "I guess it would have been (good to be in Bangalore). But happy that Pune Pistons picked," said Ashwini when queried about not being in her home team. "I want to give my best to the team. I hope Pune does well," she added. On the World Championship, where she will be playing with two new partners (doubles with Pradyna Gadre and mixed doubles with Tarun Kona), Ashwini admits it is going to be "really tough." "The training has been good (in Bangalore). I am enjoying my training. The Championship will be really tough. I want to take one match at a time," Ashwini said.

http://news.oneindia.in/2013/08/03/ashwini-ponnappa-excited-be-part-wonderful-ibl-1274908.html