Grand Prix Badminton League to commence from July 1; top stars to serve as mentors

There will be eight teams in the fray. Each team will comprise 10 players each, with a minimum of five players from Karnataka, and a minimum of three women players.

(L-R) Ashwini Ponappa, Sai Praneeth, Jwala Gutta, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, Satwiksairaj Ranikreddy, HS Prannoy and Chirag Shetty at the launch of the Grand Prix Badminton League on Saturday.

P.V. Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth and Sai Praneeth are among the popular names who will serve as non playing team mentors for the Grand Prix Badminton League (GPBL).

The tournament will be held at Karnataka Badminton Association here from July 1 to 10.

There will be eight teams in the fray, it was announced at the launch ceremony here on Saturday. Each team will comprise 10 players each, with a minimum of five players from Karnataka, and a minimum of three women players. A total prize purse of ₹60 lakh is on offer.

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Sindhu, mentor and co-owner of Bengaluru Tigers, said, “It’s a great pleasure to be associated with the GPBL. It's always nice to support, encourage and inspire youngsters who are looking up to us.Badminton has to grow from grassroots levels like this," she said.

“After co-owning a team in the Premier Badminton League and having seen the potential the game has to offer, we thought about introducing a unique league,” said Prashanth Reddy, League Commissioner and CEO of Bitsport.

Former National champion Arvind Bhat will serve as the League Director. Around 400 shuttlers have registered for the league.

A player auction will be held next week.

Teams and mentors: Malnad Falcons (Chirag Shetty) Bandipur Tuskers (Jwala Gutta, mentor and co-owner) Mysore Panthers (Satwiksairaj Rankireddy) Kodava Tigers (Ashwini Ponnappa) Mandya Bulls (Sai Praneeth) KGF Wolves (H.S. Prannoy) The Mangalore Sharks (K. Srikanth) Bengaluru Lions (P.V. Sindhu, mentor and co-owner)