Looking forward to play alongside Saina Nehwal, says G Vrushali

New Delhi, December 31, 2015: Come 2nd January 2016, the Premier Badminton League will witness the editions first clash between Awadhe Warriors and Mumbai Rockets. Playing in the same team as Saina Nehwal, G Vrushali feels lucky to be in the same team and looks at picking up useful tips from the World No. 2.

Commenting on playing in the same team as Saina, G Vrushali said, “I think it will be dream come true for any player to represent the same team as Saina Nehwal. It will be a huge platform for me as I will even take this as an opportunity to pick up useful learning from her. I am excited and looking forward to play for Awadhe Warriors. Apart from Saina, there are other international players which make our team look very strong and I hope we win the title. What also excite me are the rules, which I think will be a huge game changer in the League.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for the top honour. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

Press release

Premier Badminton League unveils its official Anthem

New Delhi, December 31,. 2015: Premier Badminton League today unveiled its official Anthem on its Facebook page. The anthem composed by musical duo Salim-Sulaiman instigates India to “Halla Macha De” during the entire League and come out full-on to support their team. The musical anthem is all set to get the audience to hum the anthem and in the process look forward to the kickstart of the much awaited action.

The Anthem created by the duo is in line with the theme of Premier Badminton League wherein the League invites viewers from across the world to get hooked to the games and create the “Halla” that each game will rightly deserve keeping in mind the world class players who will be taking the court, come 2nd January 2016. The Anthem even encourages players to turn their ‘racquets’ into ‘rockets’, basically boosting them to hit those high speed smashes which will turn the game exciting and the audience hooked onto the drama on the court.

The anthem has gone Live on its Facebook page and will soon be available on Youtube. FM stations will soon sing the anthem on their stations further getting the fans excited. Salim-Sulaiman will perform the song LIVE on 2nd January 2016 at the official opening ceremony at National Sports Complex of India (NSCI) in Mumbai.

Speaking on the composition by the duo Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton, President BAI and PBL Chairman said “I am very happy the way the Anthem has been created by Salim-Sulaiman. It perfectly captures and strikes the emotions of the player as well as the fans feelings while the game is on. I am sure the song will make each Indian and each badminton lover to come forward and create the noise that the League right deserves”

Speaking on their association, Salim and Sulaiman said “We are happy to get associated with the League and the entire idea behind the song is to set off the players as well as the fans to ‘Halla Macha De’. We hope we will be successful in touching the chords of the fans across India and get them to sing to the tune of the Anthem”.

The Premier Badminton League is all set to kick start on 2nd January 2016, with some high-voltage action expected between Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors. The League will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

Press release

Mumbai Rockets go big on the Premier Badminton League

Mumbai, December 30, 2015: Akshay Kumar, fitness enthusiast, has been announced as a co-owner of Mumbai’s Premier Badminton League franchise, Mumbai Rockets, marking the self-professed Badminton enthusiast’s first official foray in the sport.

Speaking about his association, Akshay Kumar, Co-Owner of Mumbai Rockets said, “I'm honored to have come on board as co-owner of Mumbai Rockets. I have had a long association with the sport of badminton. It is an exciting, fast-paced game that I've grown up playing. I have full faith in the team that we have assembled here at Mumbai Rockets. I'm sure the likes of Mathias Boe and H.S Prannoy will add the much needed experience to the group of youngsters we have. I have been following media reports and while the experts have labeled our team as the underdogs of the competition, rest assured we will come out on top come the end of the league.”

The Mumbai Rockets are a well-balanced outfit with the experience of Mathias Boe, HS Prannoy helping mould and channel the youthful energy of RNV Gurusaidutt, Ruthvika Gadde. The other players who are a part of the Mumbai Rockets are :

Category	Players
Men’s Singles	HS Prannoy and R. M. V. Gurusaidutt
Women’s Singles	Han Li, Liu Zi Die, Ruthvika Gadde
Men’s / Mixed Doubles	Mathias Boe, Vladimir Ivanov, Manu Attri, Chayut Triyachart
Women’s / Mixed Double	Kamilla Juhl

Mr. Vagish Pathak, Co Owner, Mumbai Rockets while unveiling the Logo & team colours said, “We are extremely delighted to unveil the logo and our team colours. It is an honour to have this talented bunch of players in our team and we are confident of a good show. Akshay and me as co owners would like to urge the Mumbai crowd to come out and support the Mumbai Rockets.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for top honours. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

“I am happy with the energy and dedication of the team during practice sessions. We have a lot of young players in the Mumbai Rockets and they are showing promise. The senior players in the team are going that extra mile to share their experience with the younger lot. A few of them have the potential to represent India on the International stage and I am very optimistic that they will turn out to be the surprise package of the league,” said Ram Nayyar, Coach of the Mumbai Rockets.

Press release

Premier Badminton League announces Akshay Kumar as the Brand Ambassador

New Delhi, December 26,  2015: Premier Badminton League today announced Bollywood superstar and sports enthusiast Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador for the much-awaited badminton League (PBL) beginning January 2, 2016.  

With him coming on board this will add further to the excitement and glamour towards the tournament. Sports lovers already perceive the superstar as a sport and fitness freak and his association will be seen as a perfect fit to all sports lovers.

The League will even witness Akshay Kumar actively post his comments and updates on the social media via his official Twitter handle, blogs and podcasts talking on PBL and how players fared each day. 

Speaking on the announcement, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, President BAI & Chairman PBL said, “We welcome Akshay Kumar as the Brand Ambassador and his association with the League is in line with our focus to create the required excitement. His presence will not only attract sports lovers but even excite the players. We are sure we will witness a successful edition not only on the court but even off the court. ”

Speaking on his association, Akshay Kumar said “I have always believed in associating with sports and this League is yet another platform for me to showcase my support. Badminton has given us reasons to rejoice for years now and I am very excited to meet the young stars who have conquered many feats on the court. For me they are the true Brand Ambassadors to this beautiful and exciting game, I wish each one Good Luck and may the best team win.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for the top honour. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

BAI Press release

Hoping for an opening clash against Srikanth at PBL, says P Kashyap

New Delhi, December 24, 2015: Come 2nd January 2016, the Premier Badminton League is all set to commence with a huge bang as Mumbai Rockets will take on Awadhe Warriors on the former’s home court. With Hyderabad Hunters gearing up to take on Bengaluru Top Guns, it is  Parupalli Kashyap of Hyderabad is awaiting his first clash against Bengaluru as he is expecting a clash against K Srikanth and hoping to give a sin to his team.

Speaking on his first match, P Kashyap said, “I am awaiting my first match and hoping that it will be a clash against Srikanth. If we play against each other it will be an exciting game, giving the in stadia crowd as well as the viewers an exhilarating game of badminton. Also With Lee Chong Wei in our team, we look a formidable line-up and we are all set to give a tough time to the opponents.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for the top honour. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

Press release

Anup Sridhar to coach Awadhe Warriors in Premier Badminton League

New Delhi, December 23 2015: Awadhe Warriors, the Lucknow franchisee for Premier Badminton League, today announced Anup Sridhar as the coach for the team. An international player, Anup will mark his first stint as a Badminton coach through the much awaited League.

Known for captaining the Thomas Cup he ended the year 2007 at a rank of 25 and which was followed by rank 24 in 2008. He is even remembered for his historic win over Former World No. 1, Taufiq Hidayat.

Speaking on the announcement Anup Sridhar, Coach, Awadhe Warriors said: “I am honored to be part of the Awadhe Warriors team and look forward to coach players like Saina Nehwal and the rest. This is my first stint as a coach and I am excited on how things turn out for me. This will be a good platform for me to prove myself as an International coach”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Abhijit Sarkar, Director – Awadhe Warriors, Sahara India, said, “Anup has proved himself on the badminton arena as a brilliant player and is known as an extremely versatile player. Hence, getting him on board as a coach was an easy decision because we are looking up to him to showcase the same versatility as a coach as well. We are confident that he will be a huge boost to the entire team and will guide them to the path of victories”.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, President, Badminton Association of India and Chairman PBL, “We are happy for Anup Shridhar and wish him luck for being a successful coach. He has proved himself to be a great player and Awadhe Warriors can take learning’s from his huge experience and put to play during the League.”

The Premier Badminton League is all set to kick-start on 2nd January 2016, with some high-voltage action expected between Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors. The League will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

Press release

BAI announces schedule for Premier Badminton League

New Delhi, 18th December 2015: Post the Premier Badminton League Players Auction 2015, where top players were auctioned amongst the six franchises, Badminton Association of India today announced the match schedule for the much awaited League. The Premier Badminton League, which will be a 16-day long thrilling event, is scheduled to take place from 2nd January till 17th January 2016.

The six franchisees will tussle against each other for the top honour in five cities – Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The PBL will not host any match in Chennai due to the recent flood, which delayed the preparation for the mega event. The home matches of Chennai Smashers will be played at Lucknow and Hyderabad venues.

The opening day will witness Mumbai Rockets playing the opening match against Awadhe Warriors. While all eyes will be on World No. 2 Saina Nehwal who will feature for Lucknow-based Awadhe Warriors it will be interesting to see the strategies that Mumbai Rockets adopt to counter her. Also with the new rule of the ‘Trump Match’ that is getting introduced in the League, other franchisees will keep a check on how both the teams will use the new rule to their benefit and which will form as a learning for the rest in the forthcoming matches.

Speaking on the schedule of the League, Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta, President, Badminton Association of India & Chairman PBL stated: “This is a happy moment for each one of us as we are just around the corner for the start to the Premier Badminton League. Each day will be exciting and this we have ensured by the new Format & Rules that we have introduced. What has boosted us is the enthusiasm that the franchisees are showing towards the ‘Trump Match’ rule. Post PBL Auction, all the players are gearing-up for one of the most competitive Leagues in the world. With the release of the schedule, teams will start working on their strategies and game-plans. The tournament will start from Mumbai with a magnificent Opening Ceremony and conclude in Delhi with the Grand Finale.”

The rousing action will kick-start on 2nd January, 2016 and the Grand Finale will take place here in Delhi on 17th January, 2016. While Indian badminton players are engraving their names across the world, the Premier Badminton League will bring together India’s top badminton players along with international players on the same platform wherein they will showcase high-class performance.

Star Sports will be the broadcast partner for Premier Badminton League

New Delhi, December 5, 2015: The Premier Badminton League today proudly announced Star Sports as their official broadcast host for the upcoming season, which will kick-start on 2nd January 2016. With a history of successfully hosting many International games and Leagues, the channel is all set to continue their quest towards giving Indian sports lovers an experience world class LIVE tournament at their homes.

  

Speaking on the partnership, Star Sports spokesperson said, “Star Sports will air all the action from the Premier Badminton League, with the world’s top shuttlers set to square off in the country’s largest badminton tournament. The prospect of the best of the badminton world playing for various teams in the Premier Badminton League is tremendously exciting. We at Star Sports are committed to fostering a multi-sport culture in India and are delighted to be bringing all the action, from every serve to every smash, live to the millions of sports fans across the country. ”

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President & PBL Chairman stated, “We are proud that we have a partner like Star Sports who are committed to host the Premier Badminton League. With this partnership, the viewers will get high-quality LIVE matches with new-age technologies. We are confident that the Premier Badminton League through Star Sports will be popular and will attract new viewers.”

The Premier Badminton League will have total 18 matches, which include 15 ties with five matches each followed by two Semi-Finals and one Final match, and all will be telecasted LIVE by Star Sports over 16 days. The PBL 2016 will feature six franchises and each franchise will host a two-day leg. The matches will be held during evening for the prime time television broadcast.

The top four franchises in the League will enter in the Semi-finals and the winners of the Semi-finals will meet at the Grand Final on 17th January 2016, which will be held in New Delhi.

Press release

BAI announces cash award of Rs 10 lakh for PV Sindhu

New Delhi, November 30, 2015: Indian badminton witnessed yet another memorable occasion as World No.12  PV Sindhu went on to register her third consecutive win of the women’s singles title of the Macau Open Grand Prix Gold as she successfully defended the Champion’s tag. Congratulating the young player on her momentous victory, Badminton Association of India has announced a cash price of Rs. 10,00,000/-.

Speaking on the announcement, Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta, President, Badminton Association of India said, “She has yet again made us proud because of her play and determination to prove herself on the International platform. We were confident that she will retain the title and she has stood up to our expectations from her as a player who has a bright future ahead. We at Badminton Association of India are proud of her and wish her to win more such tournaments in the future”.

Playing her finale clash against World No. 6 Japan's Minatsu Mitani, Sindhu gave a brave fight to her opponent as she went on to win the match 21-9, 21-23, 21-14. It was the Indian who dominated the entire proceedings, keeping her opponent on the back-foot and not allowing a single opportunity to her to bounce back in the all important clash.

BAI release

Saina Nehwal meets PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi, September 17, 2015: World Number 1 Saina Nehwal today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  She was accompanied by her father Harvir  Singh Nehwal and Neerav Tomar, MD & CEO IOS Sports & Entertainment for a meeting.

During meeting she presented her racquet to Prime Minister with which she had won her World Championship medal recently.

Saina said "I am pleased to meet  the Prime Minister and wished him happy birthday in advance. I am happy to present him a racket for his birthday. It's really good to know that he follows every sport regularly and also interesting thing is he spoke to me about my matches. He also congratulated me for my World Championship medal".

Press release

BAI and GoSports Foundation to host coach education programme

Bangalore, February 20, 2013: In a first-of-its-kind coach education programme for badminton in the country, the Badminton Association of India, in partnership with the GoSports Foundation, has announced an Intermediate Level Coach Education Programme.

Scheduled to be held at the state-of-the-art Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, between March 23 and 30, 2013, the programme is open to a maximum of 30 Indian badminton coaches with a minimum of two years' coaching experience who have either played badminton at the national/international level or hold an NIS-SAI diploma.

The seven-day course, designed to encompass various aspects of badminton coaching, will also include information on the technical nuances of the game. The trainee coaches will be exposed to intricacies of sport medicine, sports nutrition, sports psychology and conditioning. The technical aspects of badminton will be administered by BWF technical expert Venugopal Mahalingam, National Coach Pullela Gopichand, Indonesian coach Edwin and other senior Indian coaches. Other experts involved with conducting the programme include conditioning expert Jagmohan Singh, sports medicine expert Dr. Ashok Ahuja, nutrition expert Mr. Venkatraman, sports psychologists Dr. Asis Goswami and Dr. Sanjeev Sahni and Physiotherapist Dr. Kiran. On successful completion of the course, the selected coaches will be accredited with the BAI for conduct of National Development Programmes/National Coaching Camps. 

In a unique model of alliance between a private foundation and a sporting federation, GoSports Foundation is responsible for the implementation and execution of the programme, while the BAI is overseeing the training modules and assessment of all coaches completing the programme.

"It is encouraging to see that a private foundation, such as the GoSports Foundation, is forthcoming in offering their expertise and assistance to the development of the sport and its coaches. It is partnerships such as these that will provide the necessary and solid foundation for the holistic development of badminton in the country," said Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta, Course Chairman and President, BAI. "This course will enable the competent badminton coaches to be equipped with training method and updated knowledge of sports sciences. Which will go a long way in improving the standard of Indian badminton players at all levels," said Mr. T.P.S. Puri, Course Director and Vice President, BAI.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Nandan Kamath, Managing Trustee at the GoSports Foundation, said, "Having aided the development of junior talent since 2008, we have noticed that the need of the hour in the country is the professional identification and nurturing of high potential talent available in a given sport. This is a task that, we believe, can be fulfilled through the implementation and development of a potent coaching infrastructure in the country and through capacity building amongst those developing our junior talent."

Press release