INDIA LEAGUE – 6 teams and Lin Dan?

NEW DELHI, May 8, 2013: The schedule of the path-breaking Indian Badminton League (IBL) was announced here on Wednesday.  The IBL, which will be richest prize-money badminton tournament in the world will be held across six major cities in India from August 14-31, 2013.

The IBL Finals will be held in Mumbai on August 31 while Hyderabad and Bangalore will get to host a semi-final tie each in the $1-million (approx Rs 5.5-crore) purse league. New Delhi will host the grand opening ceremony of the IBL, featuring international and national star cast, on August 13, followed by the first round on August 14-15.

The six franchise-based city teams featuring in the first edition of the IBL are as follows  – Hyderabad HotShots (Hyderabad), Rajdhani Smashers  (Delhi), Mumbai Masters (Mumbai), Karnataka Kings (Bangalore), Pune Vijetas (Pune) and Lucknow Warriors (Lucknow). The names of the owners of the six franchises will be announced on May 28 in New Delhi.

On this occasion, Badminton Association of India President Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta said, “The preparations for the Indian Badminton League are in full swing. I’m confident the IBL Opening Ceremony will be a breathtaking extravaganza with the whole world watching it LIVE.”

Mr. Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz (P) Ltd said, “We hope to create a spectacular opening ceremony for badminton lovers around the world. Top international stars and Bollywood icons along with sports stars will dazzle in a never-seen before entertainment. For the first time in badminton, all the leading players of the world will be seen in action in an exciting format in the IBL that allows even arch-rivals to become team-mates.”

The IBL is a joint initiative of BAI and Sporty Solutionz Pvt. Ltd, who are the commercial right holders of the League for multiple years.

On another note, a source close to Badminton India hinted that Lin Dan could be fielded in the event in one of the teams above. The Chinese star has just accepted the BWF wild card for the World Championships.

With press release of Badminton India