The Jwala Gutta-led Krrish Delhi Smashers will lock horns with Ashwini Ponnappa's Pune Pistons in the tournament opener of the inaugural Indian Badminton League, which kicks off in Delhi on Tuesday.
Badminton ace Saina Nehwal reckoned that her team Hyderabad Hotshots will bounce back.
Star shuttler Saina Nehwal would have rejuvenated after a one and a half month break following the IBL. The defending champion will now eye her maiden title of the season.
In the lines of the hugely popular Indian Premier League cricket Twenty20 tournament, the Badminton Association of India on Saturday launched a franchise-based Indian Badminton League (IBL), which will see the top Indian players play along with the best players from around the world next year.
Home-grown icons Saina Nehwal and P Kashyap, along with some international stars such as Lee Chong Wei, would be the top draws at the Indian Badminton League's players' auction to be held in New Delhi on Monday.
Krissh Delhi Smashers' icon player Jwala Gutta, who missed her team's Indian Badminton League tie against Mumbai Masters, is yet to recover from a shoulder injury but the ace doubles shuttler is hopeful of playing against Awadhe Warriors on Thursday.
Pune Pistons clinched a thrilling 3-2 victory on day one of the inaugural Indian Badminton League in New Delhi, on Wednesday after the mixed doubles combination of Ashwini Ponnappa and Joachim Fischer Nielsen got the better of Jwala Gutta and Kien Keat Koo of Krissh Delhi Smashers.
Doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has worked on her fitness and is ready to stage a smashing comeback in the forthcoming Indian Badminton League.
Hyderabad Hotshots stormed into the final of the inaugural Indian Badminton League after a convincing 3-0 victory over Pune Pistons in the first semi-final in Hyderabad, on Wednesday.
Krrish Delhi Smashers staged a great fightback after losing the first two matches to down Hyderbaad Hotshots 3-2, in the Indian Badminton League in Lucknow.
The Indian Badminton League will hold its first players' auction in Delhi on July 19. Over 150 shuttlers are expected to go under the hammer for 66 slots in six teams. Each franchisee can have 11 players, including a maximum of four foreign and an under-19 player from their catchment area.
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal shepherded the Hyderabad Hotshots to a comfortable 3-2 victory over Mumbai Masters in the inaugural Indian Badminton League at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi, Pune.
In the biggest match of the Indian Badminton League, World No 4 Saina Nehwal did not disappoint.
Former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat criticised the auction process of the inaugural Indian Badminton League (IBL) saying he felt that the foreign players were not treated in a fair manner as compared to their Indian counterparts.
Four persons were killed and nine others injured in a fire in an industrial area in suburban Mumbai, fire brigade officials said on Friday.
Upset with the organisers' last-minute decision to slash her base price at the IBL auction despite being listed in the icon players' category, ace doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta says she will let her racquet do the talking in the Indian Badminton League.
Star shuttler Saina Nehwal is over the moon after being picked up by Hyderabad Hotshots in the inaugural players' auction of the Indian Badminton League in New Delhi on Monday, and said she will give her best to help her team win the upcoming franchise-based event.
Top badminton stars, including two-time All England champion Tine Baun of Denmark and world No.4 Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro will participate in the inaugural edition of the US$ 1 million Indian Badminton League.
Security was stepped up at the Rajasthan assembly building after the secretariat received a postcard threatening to blow it up during the winter session, said the police."The bomb disposal squad and the anti-sabotage team were rushed to the spot immediately after the assembly officials informed us about the letter. So far, no objectionable object or explosive has been detected and further search is going on in the assembly building premises," said a police official.
With the Premier Badminton League all set to kick-start on January 2, India top shuttler PV Sindhu said the new format of 15-point games will make the ties interesting and keep the shuttlers on their toes.
After guiding Hyderabad Hotshots to the inaugural Indian Badminton League title, Saina Nehwal has cited fatigue and will skip the Japan Open Super Series tournament.
India's two top women's singles shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu, have decided to skip the upcoming China Masters Super Series to be held from September 10-15.
India's top doubles badminton player Jwala Gutta on Wednesday hit out at singles star Saina Nehwal for her comments that Taufik Hidayat should accept the reality that he is a retired player and cannot get highest base price in the Indian Badminton League.
Jwala Gutta launched a verbal tirade against the Badminton Association of India on Friday, saying the decision to recommend a life ban on her has only made it a laughing stock.
Embattled shuttler Jwala Gutta moved the Delhi high court on Wednesday against the Badminton Association of India after its disciplinary committee recommended a life ban on her for an alleged code of conduct breach in the Indian Badminton League.
Top shuttlers, including Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain and Rio silver medallists P V Sindhu, will be for grabs when the high-profile Players' Auction for the lucrative Premier Badminton League (PBL) gets underway in New Delhi on Wednesday. Besides Marin and Sindhu, Olympic bronze winner Viktor Axelsen of Denmark will be among the 16 Olympic medallists who have confirmed their participation at the second edition of the event to be held from January 1 to 14.
The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market turned negative from positive
Star India shuttlers P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth notched up comfortable victories but it was young Mumbai player Harsheel Dani who hogged the limelight at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold when he stunned H S Prannoy in straight games to storm into the quarter-finals in Lucknow on Thursday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
The rising graph of the country's grapplers seems to be having no positive impact on the proposed Indian Wrestling League (IWL) as it has been postponed once again due to mild response from prospective franchises.
The Delhi high court, on Thursday, passed a stay-order against the life-ban imposed on Jwala Gutta by the Badminton Association of India.
India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal snapped her 15-month title drought, clinching the Syed Modi International India Grand Prix Gold badminton crown with a straight-game victory over compatriot P V Sindhu in the women's singles competition in Lucknow on Sunday.
A resurgent Saina Nehwal and fast rising PV Sindhu, country's best women shuttlers, set up a summit clash against each other at the Syed Modi International badminton tournament in Lucknow.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap speaks to Harish Kotian/Rediff.com about his recent triumph over world No. 1 Chen Long of China and why he wants the Indian Badminton League to be revived.
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