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Lee Chong Wei and Saina are top buys at first ever Indian Badminton League auction

1983-2011

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1983-2011 Newbie

1983-2011

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There were hurdles, surprises and last-minute tweakings of the auction process, but in the end the franchises seemed happy with the teams they bought in the inaugural $1million Indian Badminton League (IBL). The players, too, were smiling their way with the deals they bagged. Six teams-Hyderabad Hotshots, Mumbai Masters, Delhi Smashers, Banga Beats, Lucknow Warriors, Pune Pistons - each having a total purse of $275,000 (Rs 1.64 crore) - bought 60 players from the auction pool of 150, comprising Indian and international stars. World No.1 Lee Chong Wei emerged as the top catch with Mumbai Masters, which has two high-profile team owners in Sunil Gavaskar and Nagarjuna, spending $135,000 (Rs 80.63 lakh), for the famed Malaysian.

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India's Saina Nehwal ran him close and went to her home state - Hyderabad - for $120,000 (Rs 71.67 lakh). Apart from these two icon players, the other four were PV Sindhu (Lucknow Warriors), Parupalli Kashyap (Banga Beats), Jwala Gutta (Delhi Smashers) and Ashwini Ponappa (Pune Pistons). For India's star player Saina, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Pune jumped in the fray, but ultimately her home city managed to buy her. "We were clear that we wanted to have Saina, so we are very happy. We are satisfied with our team composition," said Rajeev Kamineni, executive director of PVP Group, which owns Hot Shots.

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There was also intense competition among the franchises to get Chong Wei, before he was bagged by the Mumbai outfit. "Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) told us to get the No.1 player and we did that," said filmstar A Nagarjuna, co-owner of Mumbai Masters. The base prices of all the icon players were initially kept at $50,000 (Rs 29.86 lakh) and they were supposed to be sold in a closed bidding, but the IBL governing council had to change it at the last-minute. The teams wanted the icon players to be sold in open auction for a level-playing field. They were also not willing to shell out $50,000 for the two doubles players Jwala and Ashwini.

article-2374114-1AF19C70000005DC-809_634x311.jpg There is no women's doubles match in the tie, and the two will be playing only the mixed doubles. This being so, the teams would have run out of their purse. The base prices of the two players were therefore reset to $25,000 (Rs 14.93 lakh) for the teams. The status of icon players was however retained and the IBL management decided to pay out the difference in amount ($25,000). "The closed bidding could not be held last night because the two players Jwala and Ashwini were going unsold. "So it was scrapped and their base price was slashed to $25,000 and all icon players were put in the open auction," said Ashish Chadha, CEO of Sporty Solutionz, the commercial partner of IBL. Some international stars in the world's top 10, including Ratchanok Inthanon Boonsak Ponsana from Thailand, Japan's Kenechi Tago, Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto and Sony Dwi Kuncoro, went unsold. Their base prices proved too high as they were not available for the full tournament. Among the international players, German Juliane Schenk fetched a handsome $90,000 (Rs 53.75 lakh) from Pune Pistons after a bidding war with Delhi Smashers. Ashwini, who played with Jwala at the London Olympics, was unlucky after her price was brought down in the auction. Ashwini went for Pune Pistons at her base price of $25000 (Rs 14.93 lakh), her current partner Pradnya Gadre, who had base price of just 10,000, was bought for a whopping $46,000 by Hyderabad Hotshots. Another surprise pick was P K Maneesha, a young doubles player who went to Pune Pistins kitty for $26,000, a huge leap from her original base price of $4000.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2374114/IBL-auction-Lee-Chong-Wei-Saina-buys-Indian-Badminton-League-auction.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Sachin=GOD Newbie

Sachin=GOD

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Lee Chong Wei, Saina Nehwal, Juliane Schenk, P Kashyap, Boon Heong Tan, Kien Keat Koo, Hu Yun, C Mogensen etc were up for auction and Sahara (owners of the Lucknow franchise) ended up buying only PV Sandhu :mad:

Crookbond Newbie

Crookbond

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Jwala, Ashwini hit out at IBL http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/jwala-ashwini-hit-out-at-ibl/article4945255.ece?homepage=true

Doubles specialists Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were left disappointed with the Indian Badminton League’s decision to slash their base price at the last moment in the Player’s auction and termed it as “disrespectful” and “absurd”. Commonwealth Games women’s doubles champions Jwala and Ashwini were two of the six icon players, who went under the hammer on Monday but just hours ahead of the player’s auction, the IBL decided to reduce their base price from $ 50,000 (Rs. 29,86,264) to $ 25,000 (14,93,125) after consultation with the six franchises. In the auction, Jwala went to Krrish Delhi Smashers at $ 31,000 (Rs. 18,51,520), while Pune Pistons bagged Ashwini for the base price of $ 25,000. “I am very disappointed. Me and Ashwini signed the contract as icon players and we should have been given a better deal. We were not even informed about the reduction of base price. In fact, the news that women’s doubles was replaced by other men’s singles, I came to know late. What can I say, it is disrespectful and I am deeply hurt and upset by IBL,” Jwala said. Ashwini, who won the World Championship bronze along with Jwala in London in 2011, was equally hurt at this last minute decision by the IBL. “I didn’t get a call regarding this. No one explained things to me. I am really hurt and deeply upset. Until the auction got over I didn’t even know about it,” Ashwini said. “I heard that since there is no women’s doubles competition, so our price was slashed but then how come other women’s doubles players got way more than me. That is more absurd. They make you icon players and then they don’t treat you with respect,” Ashwini said. Interestingly, Ashwini’s current women’s doubles and mixed doubles partners Pradanya Gadre and Tarun Kona were bought by $ 46,000 and $ 28,000 after starting at a base price of $ 10,000 and $ 15,000.
I don't understand why there is a tendency for authorities in India to push until the subject oppresses. Why not try to give a fair deal from the beginning itself?
bihutoli Newbie

bihutoli

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This icon player bullshit is so ridiculous! Why would the teams waste money on Jwala and Ponappa out of a limited purse just because some idiot made them icon players!

gattaca Grand Master

gattaca

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This icon player bullshit is so ridiculous! Why would the teams waste money on Jwala and Ponappa out of a limited purse just because some idiot made them icon players!
Didnt azhar gave enough money to jwala.
Crookbond Newbie

Crookbond

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Gadre_Firstpost.pnghttp://www.firstpost.com/sports/mystery-solved-why-pradnya-gadre-was-worth-more-than-ashwini-ponnappa-982867.html IBL mystery solved: Why Pradnya was worth more than Ponnappa
Now there appears to be evidence to explain this discrepancy. Gadre’s player card, which was given to all the franchises, appears to list Ponappa’s achievements instead of her own (see photo). It has her winning gold at the Commonwealth Games when she did not take part in, when it was Ponnappa who won the gold. She didn’t win a bronze at the World Championships either. She did reach the quarterfinals of the Malaysian Open this year though – with Ponnappa has her partner.
Epic chewtiyagiri! :laugh:
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