Jinx haunts IBL auction again

New Delhi (IANS): The $1 million Indian Badminton League (IBL) players' auction has once again been postponed. Initially scheduled for July 19, the auction will now be held July 22. The auction was delayed considering the requests from the franchise owners. "As a few of the franchisees have requested for a two-day workshop ahead of the IBL auction, the IBL governing council has accepted their request. Hence, the IBL franchisee meet will now take place in New Delhi on July 21, followed by the IBL players auction on July 22," said a statement from the organisers Thursday. The auction, originally scheduled to be held in March, was postponed to June 30 and then further delayed to July 19. Importantly, there has been no postponement of the league itself which will be held Aug 14-31. The six franchises - Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Lucknow - were bought out by Thursday. The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held in the capital Aug 13 while the finals will be held in Mumbai Aug 31.

Gavaskar buys Mumbai franchise The Indian Badminton League's glamour quotient has gone up by quite a few notches with a consortium involving former cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar and Telugu actor Nagarjuna buying the event's Mumbai franchise.The consortium also includes former manager of the Indian cricket team and businessman Vankina Chamundeswaranath. The team will be called Mumbai Masters. "I am proud to be associated with badminton which I've always admired and passionately followed and played a bit as a fan. The sport has produced legends and recorded many milestones for India and I hope my association with the Indian Badminton League proves to be a worthy contribution to the great sport of badminton," Gavaskar said in a release. The USD one million league is set to launch on August 14 with some high-voltage action expected between PVP's Hyderabad Hotshots and BOP Group's Banga Beats. A total of 90 matches will be played in the IBL which will feature six franchises.