Hyderabad will host the players auction on October 9 for the next edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL), to be organised by Sportzlive under the aegis of Badminton Association of India (BAI), from December 22 to Jan. 14, 2018, a senior BAI official said.
“Originally, it was scheduled in Delhi but has been shifted to Hyderabad now. The franchisee owners will be briefed about the whole process the previous day as we expect about 200 players, including some big names from China, to feature in the bid by eight teams, with the two new entrants being Ahmedabad Smash Masters and the Guwahati Eastern Warriors,” the official told Sportstar on Tuesday.
- Tournament to be held from Dec. 22 to Jan. 14 at Lucknow, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai
- Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Guwahati Eastern Warriors are the new entrants.
- The winner’s purse is ₹3 crore, the runner-up ₹1.5 crore.
“The total auction purse is ₹2.12 crore with a cap of ₹70 lakh. The teams should not have more than six foreign players and must have three women players in the squad of 10 members,” he said. “The whole objective is to ensure all teams are well-balanced and ensure great fare for the fans,” he added.
Winner’s purse
The official added that the winner’s purse is ₹3 crore, the runner-up will get ₹1.5 crore and the losing semifinalists ₹75 lakh each in the championship for which the title sponsor is Vodafone. Yonex will provide the kit.
He also said that the matches will be played on 15-point format and the ‘Trump’ match, which proved to be a big hit, will continue to be one of the star attractions of the league.
Chennai will host two league matches, the two semifinals and the final while the other cities which will be hosting the league matches are Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.
In another significant development, BAI chief Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has written to the Korean Badminton Association president to release its 10 prominent players for the PBL.
Comments
SHARE