The prestigious Indian Badminton League (IBL), a star-studded event of the the Badminton Association of India (BAI), will be held from June 24 to July 14 at six venues — Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Lucknow — the BAI secretary (events), K.Ch. Punnaiah Chowdary, said here on Wednesday.
The three-week long tournament, with prize money of Rs. 5.5 crore, will feature a galaxy of international stars from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and Denmark, along with national stars and emerging players from India.
“Each franchise will have one icon player and a total of 11 players including four foreigners.
“Only three off-shore players will be allowed to play in a match,” he said.
Chowdary said a tie would comprise a match of men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
“A team that wins three of the five matches will be declared winner.
Each franchise will play a minimum of five ties.”
The IBL governing council, along with franchisees, will meet during the Delhi Super Series and disclose the plan of action on April 29.
The matches will be played in the Sudirman Cup format and follow the rules and regulations of both the Badminton World Federation and BAI.
The live telecast of all the 28 ties is expected to reach more than 150 countries.