Dubai: All eight teams look balanced going into the inaugural edition of the Dubai Badminton League (DBL), scheduled to get under way at the Ahmad Bin Rashid School, Muhaisanah from Thursday.
Organised by a group of badminton enthusiasts in coordination with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the inaugural edition witnessed an IPL-style auction in Bur Dubai last week. Involved in the auction were the captain, his deputy and sponsor in choosing a squad of nine players in each of the eight squads participating in the league.
The DBL will get under way from 8pm on April 2 and see daily preliminary group matches being held over the weekend. The best four teams will qualify for the knockout semi-finals and final to be conducted on April 9 and 10 with the champions walking away with a top prize of Dh25,000.
A brainchild of Tino Thomas, teams consist of eleven members including the captain and vice-captain, junior players in the under-12, under-15 and under-18s, one each in the over-35 [Masters] and over-45 [Veterans] and another three men and one woman per squad.
With 10-time former national doubles champion Rupesh Kumar as DBL brand ambassador, the eight teams carry the names of prominent landmarks in Dubai such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Dubai Fountains, Miracle Gardens, Dubai Creek, Madinat Jumeirah, Palm Jumeirah and Dubai World Trade Centre.
The playing format is such that everyone from the squad gets a chance to play with each match between two teams consisting of seven ties, involving two men’s doubles, one men’s singles, a mixed doubles, an under-15 and under-18 doubles, a masters and veterans doubles and an under-12 player joining a woman in a doubles match.
“The whole selection process was designed after months of brainstorming and mock sessions so that equal and fair chances could be given to the team representatives to select the best 88 expatriate players in the country,” Ravi Kumar BM, Managing Director, Prime Star Sport Academy and Director, DBL, noted.
Each of the teams was given ten minutes to make their selections from a players’ list after which the distribution of players was made at the request from each team. “This league will allow each participant to showcase their talent and get some monetary benefit in the bargain,” said Biju Kassim, President, DBL.
“We feel all of the eight teams had an equal and fair opportunity to bid and get their players and we feel confident that based on this principle of fairness our league is headed towards success,” he added.
On Thursday, matches will commence at 5pm and go on till 11pm, while on Friday the start will be an hour earlier and on Saturday action will get under way from 2pm.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad-based badminton referee Vemuri Sudhakar will be conducting a refresher course for referees during the league. Now 62, Sudhakar has the distinction of officiating in three consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2000.
