Badminton is one of the most popular sports in India. This sport is enjoyed by people of all ages, including children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. BWF rankings in the year of 2017 also state that an Indian was among the top five players in the world in both men’s and women’s competitions. Prakash Padukone, Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, and P.V Sindhu are among these extraordinary players.
All of these stars rose through the ranks by competing in and winning a variety of domestic events. These tournaments have given them the necessary exposure, experience, and a taste of the type of competition they will face on an international level. Today, Sports Social provides you complete information on all of India's biggest badminton tournaments.
1) Premier Badminton League
The Premier Badminton League, formerly known as the Indian Badminton League, has grown to be one of the most popular and successful international competitions in India. This tournament originally began in the year 2013, and now is India’s only commercial badminton league.
Most of India's ace shuttlers as well as international superstars such as Srikanth Kidambi, P. V. Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Jan. Jrgensen, Son Wan-Ho, Viktor Axelsen are seen to compete in the League.
The League has a league-cum-knockout system. In the league stage, each club plays five ties against the other five teams. The five ties are Men's Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Singles, Mixed Doubles, and Men's Singles. It also introduces the 'Trump Card Rule' to spice up the league. The Trump Card rule states that each team selects one of their five tiebreaker matches as their Trump match. In a trump match, a team receives a bonus point for a win, while a team receives a penalty point for a loss. The top four clubs in the league with the most points at the end of the season will proceed to the semi-finals.
The Indian Badminton League's debut season included six teams, with the Hyderabad Hotshots taking home the title.
2) Ranking tournaments
All India ranking tournaments are organized by the BAI for different levels namely, Sub Junior (u13 and u15), Junior (u17 and u19), and Senior (u17 and u19). The sole purpose of having these tournaments is to ensure that every talent goes noticed and every single aspirant has the chance to participate. This domestic competition like any other has different categories for all levels, including: Boys Singles, Boys Doubles, Girls Singles, Girls Doubles, and Mixed Doubles (U-19 and senior only). Winning these titles can result in the selection of that badminton player in the Indian Badminton squad and the opportunity to get the essential exposure and taste of the competition they will encounter at the international stage.
3) Sub Junior Indian National Badminton Championships
The Sub Junior National Badminton Championships are held every year in the months of November or December. It is generally divided into two categories namely U13 and U15, which each have two common divisions of singles and doubles. Furthermore, this competition is open to all boys and girls and to the top 16 singles and top 8 doubles players from the BAI rankings. The 32nd Sub Junior Championship was held in the year 2018.
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4) Junior Indian National Badminton Championships
Just like the Sub Junior National Badminton Championship, the Junior Indian National Championship is also held annually. Moreover, this competition is also divided into two categories namely U17 and U19. Each of these divisions has sub divisions of singles and doubles.
While, both boys and girls are eligible to participate, each state is only allowed to enter two singles, one double, and one mixed doubles entry in this event. Additionally, the top 16 singles players and top 8 doubles players in the BAI rankings are eligible for the U17 tournament. Whereas, the top 12 singles players, as well as the top 6 doubles and mixed doubles players, compete in the U19 division. A striking feature to pay heed to is that mixed doubles, is only for U19s.
5) All India Inter-Institutional Badminton Tournament
The annual All India Inter-Institutional Badminton Tournament has both individual and team events. The individual events are divided into Men Singles and Women Singles whereas the team events include Men Doubles, Women Doubles and Mixed Doubles.
Majority of the participants include teams from the Reserve Bank of India, LIC of India, BSNL Sports Board, Airports Authority of India, Food Corporation of India, Ordnance Factory Sports Control Board, Department of Atomic Energy, Air Force Sports Control Board, and Employees State Insurance Corporation. Furthermore, the team to win the competition is rewarded the opportunity to enter to the Senior National Championship, and the other finalists of all the other events are given the chance to compete at Senior Nationals.
6) Indian National Badminton Championships
India's longest running domestic badminton competition also known as the Indian National Badminton Championship was first held in the year 1936. Until the year 1960, it was an open competition and included several categories such as singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Additionally, the top 8 players rated inside 50 according to the BWF and BAI rating are allowed a direct spot in the pre-quarterfinals.
The ace shuttler of India and world-famous athlete, Prakash Padukone has made history by having the most wins in this event.
References: https://www.kreedon.com/list-of-all-badminton-tournaments-in-india/?amp
