A tear and a prayer follow Daniel Farid’s entry into the IBL http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/07/31/a-tear-and-a-prayer-follow-daniel-farids-entry-into-the-ibl/ EXCERPTS: Daniel Farid (1st from left) with his new Banga Beats teammates. “Was I okay?” asked the young badminton player’s mother to him. “I think I choked.” The player, Daniel Farid, was the state junior champion and had been included in the Bangalore team for the Indian Badminton League. Banga Beats – for that is the name of the Bangalore team – had an introduction ceremony on Tuesday at a five-star hotel and there was a sizeable media contingent. The team was introduced and small talk made, and as an afterthought, the MC asked Farid’s mother, Nirmala, to speak a few words. Nirmala stiffly thanked everyone, and as she walked off, wiped a tear from her eye. For a neutral observer, the Indian Badminton League has come to mean many things: essentially, it’s in the increased profile for badminton players and greater earnings for an essentially middle-class community. Going by the first few events, the IBL promises a warm halo around the heads of the top stars. Even the lesser ones are getting a share of the limelight, something they haven’t been used to until now. There has been controversy, and I don’t think the criticism was unjustified. But it’s in the instances of players like Daniel Farid that events such as the IBL might turn out to mean life-changing experiences. To his mother, his inclusion in the team, and his welcome among the likes of internationals like P Kashyap, Arvind Bhat, Akshay Dewalkar and Aparna Balan was an anointment of sorts – an acknowledgement that the hard work had not gone unrewarded. In the Indian badminton community in particular, it’s the parents who are the backbone of the circuit. Team sports don’t seem to require so much of day-to-day management by parents; individual sports such as badminton require a great degree of hand-holding. Players start out by the time they are seven or eight, and it’s up to the parents to ensure they turn up for training early in the morning, attend school on time, have their meals, and retire early to bed. Generations of parents have sacrificed their social lives; indeed, their social lives become badminton as they catch up with other similarly harried parents. A typical day for a badminton parent begins at 4 in the morning: she has to cook, get the kid ready, drive him or her to the academy and school (and back), and prepare dinner. That’s why badminton players are generally upper middle-class – those from lower strata simply cannot keep up. Those who stay far away either relocate close to the badminton hall, or give up the sport. Daniel’s family stayed at Hessaraghatta Main Road, well outside the immediate neighbourhood of any badminton facility. “It was so difficult,” said Nirmala. “I used to take Daniel to Bangalore City Institute with his newborn sister in my arms. I didn’t have a choice. We had to change three buses… His badminton expenses were very high – like a racket would cost Rs. 8000, and his shoes would wear out quickly. It was very difficult to manage.” Her story is certainly not unique, but the remarkable thing is how these everyday stories of persistence are overlooked unless the child becomes a star. Things changed around three years ago – Daniel is now 16 – when he was selected by the Tata Padukone Badminton Academy. With his equipment sponsored, the load became less stressful, but difficulties remain. The family stays 14km from the academy, and it’s still not easy travelling to and from the academy. “He gets funding from GAIL (Gas Authority of India Ltd) but he still travels by bus,” says Nirmala. “Sometimes he sleeps on the bus and gets down somewhere else.” Daniel has made promising strides in junior badminton. The opportunity of training with some of the world’s top stars, and watching them at close quarters, is an unbelievably lucky break. “I hope it will work out well,” says his mother, a fervent prayer on her lips. For people like her, the IBL will mean something vastly different than for anyone else associated with the event. Really a good article to share with.
This is interesting. As I was asking earlier in the thread it will be interesting to see what the rules are for picking the team and if this is done blind or if you have to put your highest ranked MS as MS1 or what? If it is blind and a free for all, there will be nothing stopping Mumbai putting LCW as MS2 giving them a better chance of winning both MS if the opposing team has substituted a lower ranked Indian MS1 in. So for instance if it is mumbai v dehli LCW v wkw Marc v either sai or H.s most likely 2-0 to Mumbai But if Dehli swapped MS1 & 2 lcw v sai or h.s marc v wkw every chance 1-1 If Dehli substituted in Indian MS1 instead of higher ranked WKW that is not really fair for Mumbai. There will need to be some rules on this. It will make the LCW buy almost counter productive as all the teams would take their strongest MS and put him up against Marc instead hoping to come out of MS at 1-1. Marc was a complete steal at $15,000 for ranking quality.
If there are some rules in this and if WKW is allowed to play LCW in both the matches they meet each other as MS1, then the total point of introducing 2 MS matches in a team for giving chances to indian youngsters(this is what IBL told as the reasons for avoiding WD) becomes futile. Whoever plays LCW will definitely be in the negative side ( i mean most probably, they never win). Hence why not field Prannoy or Sai praneeth for improving themselves. It will be a great opportunity for them to play against World No.1 . I think Sai Praneeth will be placed as MS1 instead of WKW.
Do you really think that they will field LCW as MS 2 after buying him for $135,000 ?? Then it would be an insult to him .
It is a pretty big insult to spend 50% of your budget on your MS1 only to find other teams are only going to put their second rate shuttler up against him and save their MS1 to play Marc. The insult is to put the lowly Indian MS against him instead of WKW
[MENTION=104048]scorpion1[/MENTION] you keep saying two team matches, but as far as I can see there is only one tie between each franchise before the semifinal. There is no such thing as home and away matches. correct me if I'm wrong.
Or, to put a more positive spin on it - lowly Indian MS is being paid good money to learn from even more well-paid WR #1
You serious as in one player against two opponents in MD??? The one he might need to partner would be a junkie anyways Dont know but I feel as Mumbai Team wouldnt be having much to spare on a MD partner after spending 50% on him
Just LCW on one side and the whole 9 players of the opposing team on the other side one game for the whole 5 points. [MENTION=99886]gopalprasad[/MENTION] The one he might need to partner would be a junkie anyways what is this you talk of?
I hope that wasn't a piece of ghost writing. No author credits. Schenk is in HK - wonder how an indian based reporter got to speak with to her. And she isn't playing in the world championships as far as I know....
Yes sorry, I keep forgetting that this league is a business/coaching exercise with a strange side effect of some sort of competition that is supposed to be happening
According to me, WKW is a class lower compared to Sai Praneeth and K.Srikanth though his ranking is high compared to these both . Team's insight about their potential is mind blowing. Respective rates of these players proves this .
Atleast as far as i know, hongkong is not out of milky way galaxy so that nobody in the world can reach it...
You also should not forget that it is the only league in the world which cares about players (especially international players) when all other leagues care about themselves .
Yep. You are correct. Only one tie between each team the semifinal. I was thinking about IPL while writing it.
Don't forget that some players care only for themselves and make it difficult for their respective NAs.
