NSCI Badminton League set to commence from November 10

by Shrutee K/DNS

Mumbai : Defending Champions King Shuttlers will be determined to defend their crown as the third edition of the NSCI Badminton League (NBL), is scheduled to be conducted from Friday, November 10 to Sunday, November 12, 2017 at the NSCI badminton hall, Worli.

Six franchise-based teams, including King Shuttlers and last year’s runners-up Solitare Shuttlers, along with Rajdhani Royals, Roaring Raqueteers, Maverivk Aces and Giant Slayers will be seen competing for the top honours in this tournament. Once again the competition will be fierce and all the matches are expected to witness some very close and lively contests.

Ravi Punjabi, NSCI, Convener Badminton, said “The NSCI Badminton League is one of the most popular tournaments at NSCI and it is growing every year, we are giving a chance to Juniors this time to help grow the sport, we have a lot of good players who have been working hard and I look forward to a great tournament.”

Meanwhile Nikhil Mansukhani, who was the favourite at the auction on Monday and attracted the highest bid in the history of NBL when he was picked for 300 points was obviously quite delighted. “This comes with a lot of responsibility, I have got almost double than last year which brings a lot of pressure. But I enjoy the pressure, I have taken this same team to the semi-finals in the last two editions and I look forward to getting the trophy for the team this year.”

Supriya Devgun, Founder and Director Evolution Sports & Convener of Badminton, NSCI, thanked the players and the NSCI Management for their support. “This is the third edition and it has become the most sought after event. Star players like PV Sindhu, Srikant to name a few have encouraged the participant with their presence during the matches last season. This year also we are expecting a big player to grace the occasion. NSCI has been very supportive towards this event and I would like to thank the president Jayantilal for the continued support,” said Devgun.

Supriya Devgun, the brain behind the NSCI Badminton League, was overwhelmed with the response the event has received. “The response from members playing badminton was great. Over 130 enthusiastic and top notch players registered for the League. My best wishes to all the participants and hope they compete well, play hard and fair and make the Badminton League the best sporting event at NSCI,” Devgun further added.

Each team will consist of 15 players, including 2 women and one player over 50 years. From this year, the committee has decided that all teams should include a junior player.

Every team will play each other in a tournament round-robin league format. The team with the maximum points will be declared winner, while the second best points will be the runners-up.