Premier Badminton League to be 8-team affair
With the addition of Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Guwahati Eastern Warriors, the Premier Badminton League will not be an eight team affair.
The next edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) will be an eight-team affair with the addition of two more franchises.
Organised under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) by Sportzlive, the official license holder of the league, the tournament will now add teams from Guwahati and Ahmedabad as well.
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The Ahmedabad team, owned by Padmanabh Sports Pvt. Ltd. which is a subsidiary of Padmanabh Industries Ltd., will be known as the Ahmedabad Smash Masters while the other team has been named Guwahati Eastern Warriors.
The new season will begin on December 22, 2017, and will conclude on January 14, 2018. It will be played in four cities with Chennai hosting the final. The remaining four cities will play host next season.
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“I welcome Ahmedabad and Guwahati into the PBL Season 3 fold. It is a true reflection of the popularity of the league and the sport in the country,” BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“There is tremendous enthusiasm for badminton across the country. The sport is growing and we believe it will only get bigger and better going forward. I would like to thank the new owners and wish them the very best.”
PBL now will see the 11-point format make way for 15 points with one tie a day. Five matches will comprise a tie. The winners will be getting Rs.6 crore with the runner-up earning Rs.3 crore.
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Six teams battled for honours and a whopping prize purse of Rs.6 crore last year. The teams were Delhi Acers, Mumbai Rockets, Awadhe Warriors, Hyderabad Hunters, Chennai Smashers and Bengaluru Blasters with the PV Sindhu-led Chennai outfit winning the championship.