Saina to play for Lucknow in PBL

After several twists, postponements, court cases and even a change of name, the badminton league is set for take off as 48 players will go under the hammer for the Premier Badminton League (PBL) in New Delhi on Monday.

Interestingly, the auction for Saina Nehwal and Chong Wei was over on Sunday night itself. Sources said that five teams barring Bangalore, offered $1 lakh for Saina. With $1 lakh being the maximum bid, a lottery was held and Saina went to Awadh Warriors, the Lucknow based franchise.

Hyderabad and Mumbai competed fiercely for Chong Wei. In the end, Hyderabad got the player after a draw of lots. Tamil Nadu film star turned politician Vijay Kanth’s son Vijay Prabhakar owns the Chennai Smashers franchise.

“The team owners agreed to conduct the auction for Saina and Chong Wei. Everyone wanted Saina but Awadh Warriors bagged her in the end,” said a team owner.