It is imperative for a franchise-based tournament to have a resounding start to capture the imagination of the fans. The Indian Badminton League, which is making a gradual progress after some gripping ties in Delhi and Lucknow, needs to generate interest among the masses at other venues as the IBL bandwagon rolls on.
Mumbai is scheduled to host two rubbers on Monday and Tuesday but the curiosity is passive.
The multi-sport National Sports Club of India, venue for the tournament, offers a seating capacity of 4,000 but the organisers are facing a race against time to prepare the stadium before the first tie.
Tons of debris greet the visitors outside the main hall while inside work on wooden court, hospitality stands, sound system and media tribune were being carried out from scratch on Sunday afternoon.
The organisers were confident of pulling out all the stops before the first tie between Hyderabad Hotshots and Pune Pistons.
“The state government had a function at the venue and we got possession only on Friday. We are working hard and the venue will be ready by tomorrow morning,” said the venue manager.
National coach Pullela Gopichand downplayed the issue saying it was a common sight.
“Even in major tournaments, the work goes on a day before the event but everything will be fine.”
Organisational glitches notwithstanding, fans here can expect some high quality performance as both Pistons and Hotshots have shown promise. After two ties, Pistons are right on top with eight points while Hotshots are second with six.
Pistons are high on confidence after registering a close 3-2 victory against Mumbai Masters in Lucknow to add to their win over Krrish Delhi Smashers in the season’s first game. Hotshots on the other hand, won their first game against Awadhe Warriors but faced a defeat in Lucknow against Delhi.
If Saina Nehwal vs P.V. Sindhu was billed as the tie of the tournament, fans will once again have an opportunity to witness another top contest as Saina, Hyderabad’s icon player, will be up against Pistons’ star singles player Juliane Schenk.
The German is ranked no. 3 in the world and has registered two straight victories. Saina, ranked fourth, also has two wins to her credit.
Apart from skills and temperament, the battle will also test the fitness of the two players as both played in Lucknow on Saturday and reached Mumbai only in the evening.