Indian Badminton League six months on...

Discussion in 'India Professional Players' started by Cheung, Jan 16, 2014.

  1. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    I think the Indian Badminton League was a great innovation to our sport. We got a lot of coverage in HK.

    6 months later, how has it affected Indian Badminton at grass roots and the professional level.

    We had a few men's singles players knocking closely on the door. What's happened to them?:confused:
     
  2. drmchsraj

    drmchsraj Regular Member

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    Good topic. I think the event was a success and it inspired a lot of fans all around the globe.
    Had the management and marketing been better, it would've been an even bigger success overall.
    From what I know, although there had been penetration, it didn't meet it's estimated income targets. In most cases, even the merchandise was not made available on time so there was no alternative revenue stream. Hopefully more firms, sponsors and syndicated groups can invest or this time to take the buden off the team owners!

    Talent wise, Marin, Tzu Ying Tai, P V Sindhu (WS), Tanongsak, K Srikanth (MS), Boe, Kido, Joachim and Akshay Dewalkar (MD) gained much attention. Srikanth and Tanongsak remained consistent, and Marin and Tai have had their share of success too :). Nguyen and Ajay Jayaram have had mixed results during/since then.

    Can any local fans in the knowhow confirm if IBLv2 may to be held in an even bigger fashion, or if it may be delayed (because of financial, or other reasons, like pushing it back a few months to rope in more players)?
     
  3. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    In the last few weeks, a tremendous amount of backroom fighting has been going on.

    The people that organised the first edition have locked horns with vested interests within the BAI.
    On one side is Yonex and the original organisers.
    On the other side is Li Ning and a few BAI honchos.

    Unless this fight ends, there won't be a second edition of the IBL anytime soon.
     
  4. drmchsraj

    drmchsraj Regular Member

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    hmm... is this different from the usual li-ning vs yonex fights in some countries about being main sponsors at the central governing organization of such countries?
    i read somewhere last year about how li-ning alleged yonex had an additional amount, a separate allowance, in their 'bid' to cater to the top figures? free overseas trips, expense accounts and such?
     
  5. Oldhand

    Oldhand Moderator

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    Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if that is indeed the case in India.
    It's common knowledge that nothing moves unless it is, um, greased :D
     
  6. nokh88

    nokh88 Regular Member

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    Courtesy of The Star :

    Now now they have tennis.

    Nadal to team-up with Sampras for Mumbai in new league [​IMG]Rafael Nadal of Spain cries after being defeated in the men's singles final match against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland at the Australian Open 2014 tennis tournament in Melbourne January 26, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed

    MUMBAI (Reuters) - World number one Rafa Nadal will team up with 14-times major champion Pete Sampras for Mumbai in the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) later this year, tournament organisers said on Sunday.

    Serena Williams, the top-ranked women's player, will headline the Singapore team alongside Tomas Berdych and Andre Agassi in the off-season tournament from November28 to December14, which is styled on cricket's franchise-based Indian Premier League.

    Four teams - Bangkok and Dubai being the others - will compete in men's and women's singles, men's and mixed doubles and a men's legends singles with one set per match, and no advantage scoring.

    Serb Novak Djokovic and former women's number one Caroline Wozniacki will lead Dubai while Britain's Andy Murray, Frenchman Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus were picked by Bangkok when the teams were drafted on Sunday in Dubai.

    The 2014 season will feature 24 matches across the four host cities with all four teams competing in a round-robin format in each of the four cities, organisers said.

    "As an Indian and the owner of the tournament I'm delighted that the world number one Rafa Nadal is playing for an Indian city," promoter Mahesh Bhupathi said on Sunday.

    "I think the teams are evenly balanced, I'm happy for the players who have been picked."
    The IPTL has been generally well-received by the world's top players although not all have signed up.
    Roger Federer, winner of a record 17 grand slam titles, and former women's world No.1 Maria Sharapova will not be appearing.

    "I don't know that much about it to be honest," Federer said in Dubai this week where he won the title.
    "I wish I could tell you exactly what's going on. I just didn't sign up because I didn't want to. I just first wanted to see it get off the ground."

    Some will question why players who have regularly raised concerns about the length of the season are willing to take long-haul flights to play matches in the short off-season.

    It promises to be extremely lucrative, however, with organisers saying Sunday's initial draft had seen an outlay of $24 million with salaries for each team expected to be between $4 and $10 million.

    "Really happy that I was drafted for Dubai...Thanks," Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic said on Twitter while his compatriot Ana Ivanovic said she was happy to join Nadal playing for Mumbai.

    "So excited to learn I have been picked for #Mumbai team for #IPTL! Can't wait to get on court and get together with my great teammates! :))" she said.

    (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly, additional reporting by Martyn Herman in London; editing by Steve Tongue and Pritha Sarkar)

    http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Ten...teamup-with-Sampras-for-Mumbai-in-new-league/
     
  7. nokh88

    nokh88 Regular Member

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    Courtesy of The Star :

    I think there is more money in Tennis :

    Tennis greats drafted in new IPTL league [​IMG]World No.1 Rafael Nadal has been drafted into Team Mumbai for the inaugural International Premier Tennis League that kicks off in Singapore in November. - AFP

    DUBAI (AFP): World No.1 Rafael Nadal has been drafted to represent Team Mumbai, Novak Djokovic will headline Team Dubai, while top WTA star Serena Williams will feature in Team Singapore, in the inaugural edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).

    Team owners and IPTL organisers - led by Indian doubles star Mahesh Bhupathi, the Managing Director of the league, held a draft on Sunday in Dubai where a total sum of $23,975,000 was spent across four teams to be based in Bangkok, Mumbai, Dubai and Singapore.

    Nadal will be joined by 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras in Team Mumbai, while Djokovic has fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic, ex-world No1 Caroline Wozniacki and Arab No1 Malek Jaziri as his allies.

    Teams owners are allowed to have up to 10 players in their roster.
    "We've got some unbelievably strong teams. I think out of the 28 players that got drafted we have about 21 Grand Slam champions. We have 14 present and past number ones. It's a pretty blockbuster field," Bhupathi said.

    Partly modeled after the financially-successful Indian Premier League (IPL), the IPTL has been described by Djokovic as a "fantastic concept" while others like Roger Federer - a notable absentee from the player field - has been more cautious in his views on the idea.

    "Firstly, I want to see whether it takes off or not. I know a lot of people have invested in it or are part of it," Federer told reporters in Dubai last week.

    "Anywhere where tennis grows is a good thing, so I hope it takes off and becomes very successful. In Asia, there is enormous potential - in places like China and India, due to the amount of people that live there and the excitement they have for tennis."

    Asia's top male and female players, Kei Nishikori and Li Na are also missing from the player field, along with career Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova.

    Former world No.1 Carlos Moya attended the draft, which has placed him in Team Bangkok alongside British two-time major champion Andy Murray.

    The Spanish star is not only a participant but is also the Vice President of Players Relations within the league.

    "I'm very excited to be part of this competition, and look forward to playing for Bangkok. I have fond memories from the days I've played there," said Moya.

    The much-talked about league will take place during the off season of the tennis calendar, between November 27 and December 14, and will feature 24 matches across the four host cities in the Middle East and Asia.

    Each match will follow a best-of-five format comprised of separate sets contested in men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and past champions singles, with the home team choosing the order of play prior to each match.

    Play is scheduled to start in Singapore, followed by Bangkok, Mumbai and will finally conclude in Dubai.

    Each city will host six matches in a three day period and each team will have a regular roster and a travel roster that will have to include a minimum number of players from the different categories.

    The concept is the brainchild of Bhupathi, who believes it can have a revolutionary effect on tennis.

    He is joined at the helm by Morgan Menahem, the CEO of the league who also happens to be the agent of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

    Team Singapore (Nov 28-30)
    Tomas Berdych, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Serena Williams, Bruno Soares, Patrick Rafter, Daniela Hantuchova, Nick Krygios.

    Team Bangkok (Dec 2-4)
    Andy Murray, Jo Wilfred Tsonga, Victoria Azarenka, Daniel Nestor,Carlos Moya, Kirsten Flipkens.

    Team Mumbai (Dec 7-9)
    Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, Pete Sampras. Rohan Bopanna, Ana Ivanovic, Sania Mirza, Fabrice Santoro.

    Team Dubai (Dec 11-13)
    Novak Djokovic, Caroline Wozniacki, Goran Ivanisevic, Janko Tipsarevic, Nenad Zimonic, Malek Jaziri, Martina Hingis.

    http://www.thestar.com.my/Sport/Tennis/2014/03/03/Tennis-greats-drafted-in-new-IPTL-league/
     
    #7 nokh88, Mar 3, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2014
  8. drmchsraj

    drmchsraj Regular Member

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    that's encouraging to hear... i wasn't aware things were moving at such a brisk pace.
    gotta see how it all pans out, i'm sure the sponors/owners are more hopeful and view this as a more solid financial platform than ibl. hope this doesn't get rolled out at the cost of ibl
     
  9. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    For those who bemoan that badminton lags behind tennis, there is a bit of history behind it.

    Badminton didn't become a professional sport until 10 or so years after tennis. And there wasn't a unified governing body in the 70's either. So, the development of the sport was pretty slow.

    Badminton is way behind tennis. We just gotta do the best we can trying to learn the good things from other areas to increase the popularity of badminton.
     
  10. scorpion1

    scorpion1 Regular Member

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    May be they took time to analyse the game. But Have you seen the progress if you compared the outcome of the events that occured in the past in the same time last year ?

    Indian Open GPG 2014 - K.Srikanth Runner up.

    Arvind bhat won German open 2014 ( last year , quarterfinal entry by an indian was the best).

    Swiss open 2014 - semifinal entries ( quarter final entry was the best last year).

    Malaysian Open GPG 2014 - Sourabh verma - Runner up (last year quarterfinal entry was the best)

    Infact last year, no MS player from india were able to get even international titles . But this time many players started doing well . So, IBL has started its effect i guess.
     
  11. dieter_spath

    dieter_spath Regular Member

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    IBL was indeed a great innovation to badminton circle. I’m so disappointed with the organization of BWF, so I really hope some country wherever it is could make real contributions to badminton. I also strongly encourage CBL to do so, but it seems lack of motives and good management in CBL. I watched several matches of IBL last year, it’s really interesting and attractive. It had already successfully attracted some real good players in the world to participate. Now I’m wondering if IBL could absorb some Chinese top players? Really, It’s good for LiNing, good for badminton, and good for fans!
     
  12. Baddyforall

    Baddyforall Regular Member

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    http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/badminton/Indian-Badminton-League-season-2-launched/articleshow/49582477.cms

    Excerpts:

    The IBL will be a 15-day affair from January 2-17, featuring six teams which will battle it out in the USD 1 million competition.

    Das Gupta assured that the tournament will be bigger and better than the inaugural edition.

    "It's a proud moment for me today as I announce the second edition of the Indian Badminton League and which I can assure you, will be bigger and larger than the first edition," he said.

    Speaking on the Shuttle India initiative, Gupta added, "The idea of creating a badminton league was not only to get international players on the same platform but even create a platform for the young guns at grassroots level to take the sport as a career and Shuttle India is an initiative towards that goal. With schools participating from across six cities, we are expecting huge participation amongst the students who are already getting formal training of the same at a local level."

    "The rest of the franchisees are in advance talks and the announcement for the same to be made soon," said BAI in a statement.
     
  13. nilesh123

    nilesh123 Regular Member

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    How can it be the inaugural competition.. We nlenjoyed IPTL last year also.. With Ind Micromax aces winning the title!
    Roger and maria aren't playing :(
    Hmm I wish Pete sampras play throughout the league unlike last year when Roger and Pete played only few encounters! Thanks to fab Fabrice he took care of all other for IND aces.. It was a treat to watch this league last year expecting much more this time with inclusion of Rafa and Nole of course if RF is their we won't be treated with Gael's entertaining moves :p also Ana, Serena and Berdych are so supportive and happy hearted
     
  14. nilesh123

    nilesh123 Regular Member

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    Good!! I can't wait to watch the final list of players.. Will CM play? I wish the league somehow manages to engage Chinese stars esp CL and LXR.. Will LCW participate it was really good watching him last year!! The likes of Time Baun and Schenk should be replaced by players like RI, TTY and AY I hope
     
  15. lzhaol

    lzhaol Regular Member

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    I seriously doubt China will release her star players to IBL2 since its the olympic year
     
  16. Baddyforall

    Baddyforall Regular Member

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    Actually, previous contracts still exists. So, the players who participated in last edition will participate in this season 2 as well. I do think that chinese players won't participate in the outside leagues. I have never seen any top players from china and india participating in any other leagues. I am talking about top 10 players of india.
     
  17. Vishnu

    Vishnu Regular Member

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    IBL is going to be a big success and it is upto the Chinese players whether they want to come and play in the cash rich IBL. Just by participation they might earn much more than winning a super series title. Money would play a big role in drawing top players to this competition. IBL is doing good for the sport of Badminton and wish a very grand success.
     
  18. Fan123

    Fan123 Regular Member

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    It's not upto the Chinese players, its upto the Chinese Badminton Association. If Association refuses, the Chinese players won't be able to participate even if they are shell broke and desperate to play.
     
  19. Cheung

    Cheung Moderator

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    What I have heard is BAI didn't release its players to one of the other leagues (it was invited). Extrapolating from this, I don't think it would release its players to other leagues either.

    Like Fan123 said, if the Chinese Badminton Association don't allow its player to come, they cannot come. It's not a sole decision by the player.

    It's more likely to see European players, independent players or those with Associations have loosened the strings a bit.
     
  20. Airos

    Airos Regular Member

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    This is great news indeed. I was missing IBL.

    TTY already played the last time.
    In fact, TTY and CM are in the same team.(unless they are doing everything fresh this time)
    Means one of them will be sitting it out. What a waste!

    RI and AY - it will be great if they come. RI promised I think last time that she will come next time.
     

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