Downgrading Saina, Sindhu does not bode well for PBL; organisers and team owners have much to learn about growing the league

IN WHAT CAN ONLY BE TERMED as bizarre, Indian superstars, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, have got a raw deal in the Premier Badminton League (PBL) auction, thereby undervaluing the perception of the league in a year where Sindhu has been the toast of the nation.

What should have been a re-affirmation of the growth of the sport and the immense popularity of these players ended up with one wondering whether the auction was conducted in the right manner by the organisers, Badminton Association of India (BAI) and Sportzlive, to give the teams a reason and opportunity to bid heavily for these two players who define Indian badminton.

These statements below indicate that the auction should have been thought through and team owners educated better for Saina and Sindhu to have received more value, thus raising the profile of the league itself.

Said Sindhu, after the auction:

"In the draw of lots my name came out last so I got less, but it is okay."

Said Upinder Zutshi, MD and CEO of Infinite Computer Solutions, which owns Delhi Acers:

"Each team had a different strategy and were trying to make the best use of the purse and Saina's name came out in the middle so somehow she went unsold first time."

Said Avijit Sarkar, Director, Awadhe Warriors, Sahara India:

"We had the option of right to match and we were waiting for other teams to bid but since no one bid we managed to retain Saina for the base price."

Your name comes out in the middle and you are unsold! Your name comes out last and you get much less! Telling statements. Saina's name comes out in the middle, Sindhu is last. Probably by which time your purse is almost over. You don't know how much to keep back for the first female individual silver medallist from India who will be the talk of the tournament and will probably play THE match of the tournament. Who had nearly everyone in the nation stop everything and watch a breath-taking Olympic final in badminton. And all she can fetch for herself is Rs 39 lakhs. Compared to the over Rs 60 lakhs she got for herself in the last edition. Can someone please explain this?

Sindhu must have put up a brave face, blaming the draw of lots. But we think it was complete mismanagement of a great field that the organisers had. Saina might have been at a disadvantage because of her early loss in the Olympics and her injury, but there is no denying that is World No. 7 and a superstar in India. And a league's success works on having the top players in the game and if the top players include local names, it is a winner all the way.

The pre-auction hype was built around a Marin-Sindhu rematch. Which meant that whatever the world ranking of Sindhu currently, she was invaluable for the league and the team which picked her up. But now the figures say something else. All because she was drawn last. The team owners had filled up their teams and Chennai could retain her cheap.

Same with Saina. Her team was willing to go any length to retain her. But they did not have to worry at all. The other teams owners were not even thinking of a strategy to drive her price up so that they could deplete Awadhe's purse.

This does not bode well for the second edition of PBL. The rematch has already lost its sheen because we now have a player who went for Rs 61.9 lakhs battling a Rs 39-lakh player. The yawning gap in the price has created a perception that the team owners and the league itself does not think you are worth more.

Many other star shuttlers who were part of the previous edition and are good at what they do also went unsold; some of them were pushed to the reserve pool and auctioned later. This included few Indian players as well. Some of the players that went unsold were mostly highly experienced doubles shuttlers -- Mathias Boe, Carsten Mogensen, Hendra Setiawan, Kien Keat Koo, Joachim Fischer, Hendra Gunawan.

All of these players are top class shuttlers and were part of PBL in 2016. When they were announced unsold in their respective draw, they were put into reserve pool. But even at the end of that they remained unsold.

The list also includes some Indian players like Anand Pawar and Aparna Balan. They may not be considered as top shuttlers, but a domestic league is also all about allowing the home-grown players to perform, learn and shine. Aparna did express her dismay on being a current leading player and not being picked up.

There were other few shuttlers who deserved to be bid for in their respective draw, but got picked only in the reserve pool. Among them were the doubles pair of Manu Attri/Sumeeth Reddy, and youngster Sameer Verma. Attri/Reddy were the first Indian men's doubles pair to feature in the Olympics, it was also their first outing at the prestigious event. Sameer, on the other hand, is an upcoming talent that has always proved his talent with his consistent performance.

The aura around a league and its teams for fans of the game are the star players, especially the domestic ones, and the money they attract. Then comes the interesting match-ups. By downgrading both Saina and Sindhu, the league has suffered an irreparable damage before the players have even entered the court.

It will be a mixed pool of players who will battle it out during the upcoming edition of the PBL. It does not seem that the energy from a Saina vs Sindhu rivalry from the first edition will scorch the courts. But wait. Saina has a lot to prove and probably this clash might again be the match to watch out for rather than the much hyped Marin-Sindhu showdown, especially after the bitter taste left behind from the auction.