Karnataka Badminton League – A great leap forward

One man’s dream was finally realized on Saturday, November 19, as the inaugural Karnataka Badminton League concluded amidst much cheer at the K Raheja Stadium.

With its successful completion, badminton in the state took a giant leap forward, the effects of which will be felt only in time to come.

The man who dreamt it all up was Thomas Kunnath, a businessman who once played badminton for Kerala, and a storehouse of enormous energy. Kunnath had envisioned an Indian Badminton League two years ago, but the Badminton Association of India sat on the proposal and ensured that nothing would come of it. Kunnath was an organizer of small tournaments in cue sports and badminton at the East Cultural Association club – the highlight of which was impressive prize money and excellent conduct. He had even managed to pull of an exclusive doubles badminton tournament which gave more prize money than any of the national-level players had ever seen in their lives.

It was the Maharastra Badminton League, held earlier this year, that finally provoked Kunnath to execute his plans, albeit on a smaller stage. In association with former international player Vijay Lancy, an IIM Kolkata graduate, he pushed the revolutionary idea through, past a bunch of skeptics and nay-sayers.

Some of the short-term effects of the league are already apparent. State players, long used to playing in front of empty halls, suddenly found themselves at the centre of all the attention. Full-house crowds – not seen even in senior national tournaments inIndia– cheered them on, sometimes late into the evening. The team format is a rare sight in Indian badminton, but the KBL brought together players and their family and friends, all cheering for their respective teams. The result was a raucous crowd that pushed the players into performing way over their best. The money wasn’t bad too – as Sindhu Bharadwaj, part of the Flypower Challengers team that won the finals, said: “This is the biggest day of my life. I got a cheque for Rs 48,000, and I think there will be a team bonus too!” Players like Rohan Castelino and Aditya Prakash, barely known outside the badminton circuit, netted Rs 78,000 and Rs 86,000 respectively.

The league is the biggest thing to happen to Karnataka badminton since Prakash Padukone opened his badminton academy in 1994. There have been some milestones in the years since then – such as P Gopichand’s All England win of 2001, or Anup Sridhar and Arvind Bhat’s national titles in the men’s singles, but the KBL has shown us a vision of what can be. It has shown that it is possible, with the right marketing, to draw in the families, and to sell the sport to advertisers. It has given the organizers a huge dose of confidence, to the extent that they are already contemplating hosting theBangaloreleg of the Indian Badminton League, and perhaps even hosting foreign players.

The dream that began with one man has now become the reality of many.