The launch of the IPL-style league in badminton last year was a huge boost to lift the profile of the shuttle sport in the country, says former international Sanjay Sharma.
"IBL has changed the format of badminton in India. While cricket has become an industry, we have remained at the sporting level. We could never dream of our players staying in five-star hotels, but IBL changed everything and suddenly youngsters were earning lakhs of rupees, making good money to play for one tournament which had a prize-fund of a million dollars," said Sharma here last evening at the Hyderabad CA's Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium in Uppal.
"I found the response to IBL absolutely amazing; never thought it would get such a huge response," said the former doubles specialist who has become a TV commentator on the game at a seminar on sporting leagues on the first day of the Sport Journalists Federation of India's 37th National Convention.
Sharma said the quality of television broadcast played a huge role in increasing the popularity of IBL.
"What changed IBL was when Star Sports decided to broadcast IBL live and it changed the entire atmosphere of badminton. The format which IBL had gave a junior player to rub shoulders with World no. 1 player Lee Chong Wei. Jwala (Gutta), being the team captain of Delhi Krish Smashers, gave a lot of support to the young players in the team.
"We had coverage we never had before, we had the fan following we never had before and it gave our Indian players the belief that they could compete against the top players in the world," he added.
Mustafa Ghouse, CEO of FC Bengaluru who stunned Indian football followers by winning the I-League in their debut season this year, said that the club's ultimate aim is to win the tournament with 11 Indian players.
"We want to win the I-League with all 11 Indian players in four years' time and that is what we are working towards," said the former tennis player.
Asked why the Jindal Group put their money in buying a football team when there were more attractive and profitable options, Ghouse reasoned that it was taken up as a challenge.
"When we had the opportunity of buying a team in the I-League most people suggested that we don't do it since there were a lot of negative reports about Indian football because they said most people won't follow it unless it is East Bengal or Mohammedan Sporting and that people won't come to watch it," he said.
