HYDERABAD: A second tier badminton league is in the pipeline, chief national coach P Gopichand has confirmed.
“There are serious plans to start a league on the lines of Premier Badminton League for fringe players as otherwise all of them cannot be accommodated,” Gopichand, who was also the advisor for the just-concluded Premier badminton League told The Hindu.
“There is an idea to provide a platform for those waiting in the wings not just from India but from other countries too. Performances in such a league may enhance their chances of being grabbed by PBL teams,” said Gopichand at a review of the PBL and future plans at his SAI-Gopi Chand Academy near here on Friday.
“We are also looking at the prospect of having eight teams as against the six now in the PBL and spread the league itself for over a month from December 20 every year.
That would be just after the year-ending Dubai BWF Super Series Finals,” added Gopi.“The likes of [Carolina] Marin, PV Sindhu and Saina [Nehwal] playing in the PBL has added value and contributed to the huge success of the league itself,” he said.
“What is remarkable is the way all the players adapted to the 11-point format and I don’t see any reason to tinker with this for future editions,” Gopi said, even while stressing that serious efforts are on to include women’s doubles in the next edition.
Meanwhile, Prasad Mangipudi, managing director of Sportzlive (the official league licencee holder for 10 years under the aegis of BAI), told The Hindu that television viewership (till the PBL final) reached a new high of 32 million, making it the second most popular sport in India after cricket.
“Yes, it will still take a couple of years more to make some profits. But, the best part is that the PBL got the much desired momentum to get that kick-start ,” added Prasad.
