The sixth season of Premier Badminton League (PBL), which was initially scheduled to take place in the last week of December, has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. PBL has witnessed participation of the top badminton starts in the past five years and despite the postponement, the organisers are working on new dates for the tournament for early next year.
The decision to postpone the tournament was taken by SportzLive — the official license holder of the league under the aegis of the national sports federation — in consultation with Badminton Association of India (BAI) owing to international travel restrictions, which are still in place as per issued guidelines. The safety of all players and stakeholders involved was also of prime concern for the organisers.
“The usual window for PBL is December end – January. This year, as the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic we have been monitoring the situation closely. Health and safety of all is of paramount importance, hence, carefully considering all guidelines, protocols and commitments, and post discussions with BAI, we have decided to rework fresh dates for 2021,” said Prasad Mangipudi, MD, SportzLive.
The PBL has provided a strong platform for all shuttlers to not just showcase their skills but also financially assisted in their career development. For the young Indian shuttlers, it has given an opportunity to play alongside the world’s top players, which has resulted in the growth of badminton in the country over the last five years.
“With the cases on the rise again and the second wave hitting the country, it is pertinent that we adhere to the Covid-19 advisory issued by the Health Ministry. However, with the recent announcement of the vaccine, we are optimistic that the economy shall improve and things shall return to normalcy including international travel soon. The league meanwhile plans to introduce grassroots as well as other badminton activities in order to bring back the badminton actions ahead of the next season,” Mangipudi further added.
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