New Delhi: The top layer of the NextGen Indian badminton players are thrilled with the recognition they received from Indian industry and the unprecedented windfall come their way at the right time in their career during the recently-held Indian Badminton League auction.<\/p>\n
K Srinkath, 20-year-old, who was bagged by Awadhe Warriors for a pay cheque of $ 34,000 said here on Thursday, \u201cThis is unbelievable. I didn\u2019t expect it (the bidding price). It felt extremely good to know that the franchisees were competing with each other to bid for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old who had stunned world No.4 Boonsak Ponsana in the finals of the Thailand Open Grand Prix last month and hails from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, added, \u201cMy parents are very happy that the sport is getting me financial rewards. It will also give me an opportunity to play in a team event.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Another promising youngster, the 18-year-old doubles player K Maneesha was picked up by Awadhe Warriors for $26,000, six times more than her base price of $4,000. Maneesha, who won the Maldives International Challenge mixed doubles with K Nandagopal in June and the 2010 Commonwealth Youth Games, said, \u201cI am a junior player and never expected to get so much money. The credit goes to Saina (Nehwal), Kashyap bhaiya, Ashwini (Ponnappa) for taking badminton to a height so that all the youngsters like me are also now reaping the benefit. I felt very happy after the IBL auction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pradnya Gadre, amongst the top-10 highest buys in the IBL auction, feels lucky to be picked up by Hyderebad Hotshots for $46,000. The 22-year-old doubles specialist said, \u201cFrankly, I\u2019m extremely happy to be part of the IBL and Hyderabad Hotshots team. It is a great opportunity for the juniors to get to play with international stars. It will be wonderful to be in the same team as Taufik Hidayat, who has been my idol for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
B Sai Praneeth, 20-year-old, who stunned former Olympic champion Taufiq Hidayat in the latter\u2019s farewell match, was bagged by Krrish Delhi Smashers for $40,000. The talented youngster is excited to be a part of the League and he said, \u201cIt\u2019s a huge motivation for a player like me. I was expecting around $20,000, but this was surprising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Guru Sai Dutt, the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 champion, who was picked up by Awadhe Warriors for $40,000, said, \u201cIt\u2019s great to be a part of the league which will help badminton and the players to grow. I\u2019m looking forward to play for Awadhe Warriors.\u201d<\/p>\n
India\u2019s No.1 men doubles player, Pranav Jerry Chopra from Ludhiana, who was picked up for $36,000 by Mumbai Masters, said, he was \u201cshocked to be picked up for $36,000 by Mumbai Masters. But above all, I\u2019m elated to be in the same team as Lee Chong Wei. It\u2019s a huge boost to us ahead of the World Championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commenting on the unprecedented benefits for talented young shuttlers, the 32-year-old Valiyaveeti Diju, who became the first Indian mixed doubles pair along with Jwala Gutta to win a Grand Prix title in 2009, said, \u201cThe IBL is a great platform and opportunity for all the Indian badminton players to play with international players. Also, it will be a treat to watch Lee Chong Wei in action for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi: The top layer of the NextGen Indian badminton players are thrilled with the recognition they received from Indian industry and the unprecedented windfall come their way at the right time in their career during the recently-held Indian Badminton League auction.<\/p>\n
K Srinkath, 20-year-old, who was bagged by Awadhe Warriors for a pay cheque of $ 34,000 said here on Thursday, \u201cThis is unbelievable. I didn\u2019t expect it (the bidding price). It felt extremely good to know that the franchisees were competing with each other to bid for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 20-year-old who had stunned world No.4 Boonsak Ponsana in the finals of the Thailand Open Grand Prix last month and hails from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, added, \u201cMy parents are very happy that the sport is getting me financial rewards. It will also give me an opportunity to play in a team event.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-isn-front-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n