Not too long ago, the badminton fraternity in India was abuzz with the news of retired Indonesian superstar Taufik Hidayat criticising the Indian Badminton League auction process. His remarks, and Saina Nehwal’s subsequent reaction snowballed into the League’s latest controversy.
Taufik and Saina, who are in Hyderabad for their final league phase match on Tuesday, strived to put the matter to the rest on Sunday.
“I’m happy to be playing in the IBL,” Hidayat said. “I’m happy to be playing along with Saina and the rest of the team. If I wasn’t happy, I wouldn’t have come to the IBL. If my boss wants me to be back here, I will.”
Saina, whose remarks caused a backlash of sorts in Indonesia, put the records straight. “It was taken out of context. I never meant it that way. I’m not the kind of person to say things like that about someone else. I respect every player in the world. That is probably why I’m in the top-5 in the world,” the Hyderabad Hotshots captain said.
“Taufik is like Shah Rukh Khan in Indonesia. So their reaction to what happened was understandable. He is their most popular player.”
Saina added that she was looking ahead to playing on her home turf, especially after the sort of response the IBL has received in the other cities.
“The sheer number of people who have come to watch matches has been unbelievable,” Saina said.
“I never thought it would grow so much in the first year. In busy cities like Delhi and Mumbai, so many people had come to watch the matches. Not a single seat was empty in Pune. I feel badminton is one of the best sports in India and we have the potential to grow further,” she said.
The IBL took quite a few hits in the initial stages and Saina says all that was a part and parcel of how the League developed.
“It is only the first season, so there are bound to be negative things said about it. In the coming years, I’m sure we’ll be able to make this more and more popular.”