Sindhu and Marin top draws in PBL auction
NEW DELHI: Top shuttlers including Olympic medallists PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, world champion Carolina Marin and former world no 1 Victor Axelsen will headline the players’ auction in the fourth edition of the Vodafone Premier Badminton League here on Monday.
The auction this year will have an added significance with all players returning to the auction pool for the first time since 2015 with no Right To Match (RTM) cards for any teams as the league expands to nine teams with the addition of Pune Franchise. A total of 145 players listed from 23 countries will go under the hammer.
Earning himself the tag of ‘Icon Player’ for the first time based on his phenomenal track record in PBL, men’s singles stars HS Prannoy will be in great demand as the teams would look to spend their maximum purse of Rs 2.6 crore in a bid to build a formidable unit.
The other players granted the iconic status include Axelsen, Marin, Nehwal, Sindhu, Srikanth, Yong Dae, Sung Ji Hyun and Son Wan Ho. The PBL will be held from December 22 to January 13.
SUCCESS IN ASIAN JR
MANDALAY: Meghana Reddy and Tasnim Mir won the girls doubles crown as Indian shuttlers bagged five medals in the Badminton Asia Junior U-17 and U-15 championships which concluded at Mandalay, Myanmar on Sunday.
Meghana and Tasnim pair defeated Korean duo of Yeo Jin Gong and Da Yeon Jeong 23-21 21-18 in the final to secure the Under-15 girls doubles title.