It has been reported on Friday that Business conglomerate Krrish Group has named Indian ace tennis star Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of its Delhi franchise in the forthcoming Indian Badminton League (IBL).
Krrish Group, which deals with breweries, distillery, real estate and construction is all set to debut in sports arena with the IBL and has named its franchise as "Delhi Smashers".
Mirza declared that it is an amazing concept and she wishes the Delhi franchise all luck in the IBL. She hopes to attend a few games and attempt to find some time from her busy schedule. It is great to be proclaimed as the brand ambassador of the franchise. She added that Badminton is different to her racquet sport. She hasn't played badminton for a long time may be after 20 years as she thinks. In fact, the whole concept is amazing. With the IPL doing so well as well as with the tennis, they are also commencing ITPL which Mahesh Bhupathi is doing. Currently, badminton does have any certain star power and she thinks there is no reason for it not to work.
Actually, Sania tried her hand at badminton on the sidelines of the function. She played a short-duration friendly match with a local female player. Mirza assured that badminton holds a lot of promise in India with the shuttlers Saina Nehwal and Ashwini Ponnappa performing excellently at the international level.
Sania expressed that she would like to say that she was honored to play for India for so long. Truly, shuttlers like Saina, Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta are playing so well for India which promises well for the sport. It is great for badminton and it is great for sportswomen in the country.
When quizzed whether youngsters need to look beyond cricket in India, Sania answered that she has been asked this question for over the last 20 years. She clarified that she has never competed with cricket and really that is never their goal. Their goal is to try and do well in the sport that they have chosen and that's what they are trying to do. She added that she is there today as a sportsperson, badminton is not her sport. In fact, its a sport which requires a lot of attention, encouragement and a lot of impetus to become a very big sport in the country. With players like Saina Nehwal, they are able to set the standards high in badminton. They can say that they are world beaters in badminton.
It has come to light that the Gurgaon-based business group has appointed former World No. 1 Rashid Sidek as the head coach of the team. The Malaysian’s record says that he had won the Thomas Cup and an Olympic bronze medal. The one-million $ IBL is all set to launch on 14th August 2013. There will be a clash between Hyderabad Hotshots and Banga Beats. The 2013 IBL will feature 6 franchises and is supposed to run for 18 days. Each franchise is scheduled to host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a total of 90 matches. Ultimately, the top 4 franchises in the League will lock horns in the semifinals and the winners will meet in the grand finale on 31st August, which will be played in Mumbai.
