Indian Badminton League in actuality is a franchise league organized and managed by Badminton Association of India (BAI). The inaugural edition of Indian Badminton League took place in India from 14th to 31st August 2013. It is now renamed as Premier Badminton League. In 2013 edition of Indian Badminton League, Hyderabad Hotshots won the inaugural IBL title at Mumbai on 31st August 2013. The second season of the 2016 Premier Badminton League was held from 2nd to 17th January 2016. Delhi Acers defeated Mumbai Rockets in the final to clinch the title. The third season began on 1st January 2017.
Premier Badminton League in 2013
The first season auction of Premier Badminton League was scheduled on 30th June 2013 which was postponed to 19th July 2013 and again postponed to 22nd July 2013. The 2013 auctions were held in Delhi and were conducted by International Auctioneer Bob Hayton. The franchise cities of Indian Badminton League suggested are Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Nagpur and Lucknow.
2016 Premier Badminton League
The 2016 edition of Premier Badminton League was commercially known as Star Sports Premier Badminton League 2016 and was the second edition of the Premier Badminton League. The season was held from 2nd–17th January 2016. The opening ceremony was held in Mumbai and the finals in Delhi. Delhi Acers became the champions after beating Mumbai Rockets in the final.
2017 Premier Badminton League
The 2017 edition of Premier Badminton League commercially also known as Vodafone PBL 2017 for sponsorship reasons is the third edition of Premier Badminton League. Vodafone PBL 2017 started on 1st January 2017 and concluded on 14th January 2017. It consisted of 15 league ties and the top four teams progressed to the knock out stages. Sachin Tendulkar became a co-owner of Bengaluru Topguns before the season and they were renamed as Bengaluru Blasters. The Awadhe Warriors, Mumbai Rockets, Chennai Smashers and Hyderabad Hunters entered the semi-finals after topping the league table. Chennai Smashers beat Awadhe Warriors in 4-1 and Mumbai Rockets beat Hyderabad Hunters in 3-(-1) to proceed to the final. Chennai Smashers won the tournament after beating Mumbai Rockets in 4-3.
Teams of Premier Badminton League
The teams along with the Indian Badminton players in Indian Badminton League or Premier Badminton League are Hyderabad Hunters, Banga Beats (now closed), Awadhe Warriors, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets, Pune Pistons and Delhi Acers.
