Saina Nehwal joins Awadh Warriors in PBL, Chong Wei to Hyderabad Hunters in early auction

SAINA NEHWAL has joined Awadh Warriors, the Premier Badminton League franchise based in Lucknow, after a bidding war held for her and Malaysian shuttler Lee Chong Wei last night.

The second edition of the IBL, re-branded as PBL, is set to begin after a long wait and its pre-season auctions, where 6 franchises will bid to secure the services of 48 Indian and international badminton players, is going to take place today. 

But in a special auction held Sunday night for the womens' world number 2 ranked Saina Nehwal and mens' number 3 Lee Chong Wei saw the franchises take the fight down to the wire.

According to a report in Times of India, 5 franchises offered $100,000 for Saina Nehwal, an amount fixed as the upper limit for bids. In the end the winner was decided by lottery, and that's where Lucknow got lucky.

When it came to Lee Chong Wei, the Hyderabad and Mumbai teams got into a bidding war over the ace shuttler and a draw of lots was held between the two, where Hyderabad emerged as the winner.

#PBLAuction2015 Awadh Warriors rope in @NSaina , while @LeeChongWei to play for the Hyderabad Hunters! pic.twitter.com/CZLKUjtzVS

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) December 7, 2015

The league is scheduled to go underway on January 2 with an opening ceremony in Mumbai, and the grand finale will be held in New Delhi on January 17.