HYDERABAD: Reigning world champion Victor Axelsen of Denmark and women’s World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan head the list of more than 100 players who will go under the hammer in the Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) Season 3 players auction here on Monday.
Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin and India’s P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal will be the other major attractions in the women’s section.
Each franchise is allowed to spend ₹2.12 crores on its team and each team can spend a maximum of ₹72 lakh on one player out of the total purse.
China will have its presence in this edition too with World No. 11 Tian Houwei making himself available for the auction.
The other big names in the men’s section also include India’s Kidambi Srikanth, who won two back-to-back Super Series titles recently, B. Sai Praneeth, H.S. Prannoy, Ajay Jayram, Parupalli Kashyap, Sameer Verma and R.M.V. Guru Sai Dutt.
Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, BAI president and chairman of PBL, said in a statement that the league has become a global brand in badminton and the emergence of major players from across the world was a testimony to this.
“The league has been growing in stature every year. We believe it will take a quantum leap this year. Our goal is to make it the most admired Olympic sports league in the country, if not the world,” Atul Pande, Managing Director, Sportzlive, said.
“All the available players will go through the auction process with the six existing teams allowed to invoke their ‘Right to Match’ (RTM) option. This will not only make the bidding process more intriguing but will also test the strategic acumen of each team,” he said.
The 24-day league will feature eight teams — Delhi Acers, Mumbai Rockets, Bengaluru Blasters, Chennai Smashers, Hyderabad Hunters, North Eastern Warriors, Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Awadhe Warriors — in action.
The matches will be played in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai and Guwahati.