Indian badminton fans have a reason to cheer again with the news of Premier Badminton League making a comeback after a long hiatus. Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary of the Badminton Association of India (BAI), has confirmed that plans are in place to restart the once popular franchise-based league. Although a packed international calendar will make an immediate restart impossible.
PBL was first launched in 2016 where the franchise Delhi Dashers lifted the inaugural title. The tournament quickly grew into one of the most prominent badminton leagues, it drew top international stars and featured India’s finest shuttlers. The league lasted five seasons and attracted a steadfast domestic fanbase that proved to energise the nation’s badminton ecosystem.
Speaking to RevSportz exclusively, BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra said:
“We are planning to restart the league. Not immediately though. Till March 2025, the BWF Calendar is packed. So we don’t have the dates for the league. We are planning to resume the league after the 2026 Asian Games.”
He further added, “Because of Covid, the league was discontinued. Even the Sports Ministry is keen on having a league for every sport and so is the BAI. We will restart it but it is not possible to do it immediately. We are planning to get it running after the Asian Games.”
The last season of the PBL was back in 2020. Following the inaugural season, Chennai Smashers, Hyderabad Hunters, and Bengaluru Raptors, became the champions of the league. With Bengaluru Raptors becoming the champions in 2019 and 2020.
The league featured an innovative format where teams competed in a round-robin format in the league stage. Each team had to play six ties in the league stage consisting of five matches – two Men’s singles, Women’s singles, Men’s doubles and Mixed doubles. And each of these matches were best of 3 games. The league also had a unique Trump-Match rule which added further excitement. While the league is likely to revive after the Asian Games, the details of the format are yet to be revealed.
The return of the PBL is a much needed fresh boost to India’s badminton ecosystem, which has flourished in recent years with stars like P. V. Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty making waves on the global stage. The league will provide a crucial foundation for young and upcoming players who will get an opportunity to rub shoulders with world-class athletes. And for the fans, it promises to be another opportunity for them to get up and close with international stars and witness the rise of domestic shuttlers.
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