German star Schenk said she was excited about playing the

IBL and the league could be a turning point for the sport. "I'm looking forward to playing the IBL. It will be exciting and interesting for sure," said Schenk, who clinched the women's singles bronze in the 2011 World Championship. BAI president Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta feels the presence of world-class players will make the league more competitive and interesting. "When you are organizing a league like this, it needs to be ensured that top players are part of it. Now we can assure the fans a world-class league," said Das Gupta. "We are thrilled to welcome some of the biggest names in badminton. The IBL will witness practically all the top-50 players in the world and we will be announcing more names soon," said Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz. IBL is a joint initiative of BAI and Sporty Solutionz Pvt. Ltd, the commercial right holder of the league for multiple years. The player's auction will be held by the end of next month.