"Badminton has not seen this kind of money before," Padukone said.
MUMBAI: The Indian Badminton League (IBL), set to take flight from August 14, has generated a lot of buzz and excitement. There have been controversies too with players being miffed over not being informed about the reduction of their base prices at the auction.
Badminton legend Prakash Padukone, however, feels that this was bound to happen with the League in its birth year. According to the former World No. 1 and India's first All England champion in 1980, players need to perform to prove their worth in the lucrative IBL.
Though sceptical about how the IBL will shape up, Padukone feels gagging players is a bad idea and wants the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to take lead in popularising the sport. The 58-year-old opened up to TOI on the recent developments for the first time in a freewheeling interview.
Excerpts:
Do you think IBL is a welcome development?
IBL is definitely the best thing to have happened for Indian badminton, if administered properly. It will certainly add to the popularity of the sport besides bringing in more money for the players. A lot would, however, depend on the success or otherwise of the inaugural event. Badminton has not seen this kind of money before.
Do you agree to the IBL format?
There is nothing wrong with the team format and the duration of IBL, though the events to be conducted could have been debated.
Some players have expressed disappointment about the way auctions took place...
There is bound to be disappointment as this is the inaugural year. Players are still not fully aware of the rules. Organisers on their part should also take the help of people who have organised similar events and make the League more transparent. There have been quite a few glitches from both sides but I hope it will be sorted out in future editions.
Is big money good for players?
Big money is good for the sport and the players but unlike in cricket, players here will still have to perform well in international tournaments to command a good base price. In that sense it is slightly different from cricket at least for the time being.
Is the media gag on players ahead of the League a good sign?
I have not heard of this as yet. If it is true, then it is both good and bad for IBL. Good because there will be no controversies but bad because players will not be able to give interviews to the press and express their views regarding the matches, which is not what the organisers would want.
What are your expectations from Indians in the World Championships?
It won't be easy for our players in the World Championships. This is one event where all the top players try to be in their best form. Further, all of them play in this event unlike some of the other tournaments, that a few shuttlers give a miss citing various reasons. Our best bet will be Saina Nehwal for the women's singles title. That would, of course, depend on her current form
.
0 comments:
Post a Comment