New Delhi: The $1-million Indian Badminton League (IBL), an initiative by the Badminton Association of India and Sporty Solutionz, on Wednesday announced that the league’s Pune franchise – ‘Pune Pistons’ – was successfully bid and bagged by the Burman family, promoters of Dabur Group.
With this, the Burman family -- which forayed into the field of sports with Indian Premier League and followed it up with the Hockey India League -- is now all set out to score their turf in Badminton with IBL.
Speaking on the association, Dabur Group Director Mohit Burman said: “Having been actively involved in league sports in the country, we are elated to contribute towards the rise of IBL. The conceptualisation and design of this League is really interesting and we are thrilled to be a part of it. We are sure that IBL will open up avenues for young talent and will also prove to be an exciting property in sports entertainment. As in the case of our involvement in IPL as well as HIL, this is a personal investment by the Burman family and is not connected to Dabur India Ltd.”
Speaking the Burman family’s successful bid to own the Pune Pistons franchise, Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz, the ‘Commercial Partner’ for IBL, said: “We are excited that the family behind the over 128-year-old consumer goods company has come on board the IBL. I am sure this association will help IBL create goodwill amongst its stakeholders.”
Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President & MP said, “We welcome the Burman family into the game of Badminton and we look forward to a strong and successful association. We are confident that this association will add value to the overall badminton scenario of India.”
Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action expected between PVP’s Hyderabad Hotshots and BOP Group’s Banga Beats. The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours of LIVE “family entertainment” which will also be viewed by a significant international audience.
The matches will be held during late afternoon and evening to coincide with prime time television and providing a convenient time for the stadium audience. The LIVE in-stadia entertainment, combined with high-octane on-court action is expected to further hook viewers onto this new adrenalin packed LIVE family entertainment format attracting a much younger fan base, which also includes women and children.
The top four franchises in the League will clash in the semifinals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31, which will be played out in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament in badminton till now.
The IBL is also running the biggest school championship for badminton in India – Shuttle Express. The IBL School Programme is expected to touch five lakh children in more than 120 schools in six major cities, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Pune. The Shuttle Express offers Rs 10 lakh as prize money and an opportunity to train at the world-class Pullela Gopichand Academy to the young talent.