Pune joins the PBL bandwagon

With the addition of Pune Seven Aces — owned by actress Taapsee Pannu — the fourth edition of Premier Badminton League scheduled from December 22 to January 13 will involve nine teams.

The player auction for the coming season was held in New Delhi on October ■.

The nine franchisees will be Delhi Dashers, Mumbai Rockets, Bengaluru Raptors, Awadhe Warriors (Lucknow), Hyderabad Hunters, Chennai Smashers, Ahmedabad Smash Masters, Northeast Warriors (Guwahati) and Pune Seven Aces.

The matches will be played in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. The opening ceremony will be held in Mumbai.

The event offers ₹6 crore in prize money, with the winner receiving ₹3 crore, the runnerup ₹1.5 crore and the losing semifinalists ₹75 lakh each.

RAKESH RAO