PBL-6 postponed due to COVID-19; organizers reworking fresh dates for 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the badminton world as the BWF had to cancel many tournaments this year. SportzLive and the Badminton Association of India (BAI) have now decided to postpone PBL-6 to 2021 because of the international travel restrictions.

“The usual window for PBL is December end – January. This year, as the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been monitoring the situation closely. Health and safety of all is of paramount importance, hence, carefully considering all guidelines, protocols and commitments, and post discussions with BAI, we have decided to rework fresh dates for 2021,” said Prasad Mangipudi, MD, SportzLive.

It is noteworthy that BAI recently sought quarantine relaxations for the foreign players ahead of the Indian Open in 2021. The PBL is one of the top badminton leagues on the planet, with the top shuttlers from across the world participating in the competition.

Mangipudi pointed out that the second wave of COVID-19 cases in India made it challenging to conduct PBL-6 in 2020. Still, the organizers aim to introduce grassroots and other badminton activities on the road to the next edition of the league.

“With the recent announcement about the vaccine, we are optimistic that the economy shall improve and things shall return to normalcy soon, which will include international travel,” Mangipudi signed off.

The Bengaluru Raptors are two-time defending champions of the PBL

The Bengaluru Raptors have ruled the Premier Badminton League in the last two seasons. They won their first title in season four and defended it with a fantastic performance against the North Eastern Warriors in the PBL-5 finale.

The two-time defending champions would have been keen to complete a hat-trick of title wins in the sixth season. Unfortunately, they will have to wait a little longer now that PBL-6 has been officially postponed.