PRESS RELEASE
Vodafone IBL announces elite panel of TV Commentators
August 11, 2013, New Delhi: Turning the attention off the badminton court, the Vodafone Indian
Badminton League today announced an elite panel of TV commentators for the forthcoming League
which will be broadcasted LIVE on STAR SPORTS 2 & ESPN.
The Vodafone IBL Commentators team comprises of some of the most experienced and iconic voices
behind the mic, led by noted sports broadcaster Gary Bloom, former National coach of Denmark and an
astute badminton commentator Steen Pedersen, eight-time National women singles champion
Madhumita Bisht, former Indian badminton player Sanjay Sharma, former National player and actor
Nirmala Kotnis and well-known sports columnist and commentator Ayaz Menon.
Over the next 18 days, starting from August 14-31, the elite panel of commentators will bring alive the
drama and pulsating action taking place to viewers, for all the 90 matches in both English and Hindi in
the $1-million Vodafone IBL.
Speaking on the announcement, Mr Ashish Chadha, CEO, Sporty Solutionz, the ‘Commercial Partner’
for Vodafone IBL, said, “The success of any mega tournament depends a lot on the quality of
commentators as they are the voice of the event. The IBL commentators come in with huge experience
from badminton as well as from other sports arena, hence giving the viewers a pleasant mix of
commentary and entertainment.”
Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton Association of India President & MP
said, “We welcome all the six commentators for the first edition of the Vodafone Indian Badminton
League. I’m sure such an experienced panel will hook the viewers interest to badminton like neverbefore.”
The $1-million Vodafone Indian Badminton League is set to launch on August 14, 2013, with some highvoltage action expected between Krrish Delhi Smashers and Pune Pistons. The 2013 IBL will feature six
franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase
a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours
of LIVE “family entertainment” on STAR SPORTS 2 & ESPN.
The top four franchises in the Vodafone IBL will clash in the semi-finals and the winners will meet in
the grand final on August 31, which will be played in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament
in badminton till now.
About BAI:
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body for badminton in India. BAI is an
association registered under the Societies Act and affiliated to the Badminton World Federation, BAC
and the IOA. BAI was formed in 1934 and has been holding national-level tournaments in India since
1936. BAI conducts international tournaments in India like the India Open Superseries, Syed Modi India
Grand Prix, national championships, selects team and conducts camps for Olympic Games, World
Championship, looks after training of technical officials, and takes path-breaking initiatives like Indian
Badminton League to promote the sport.
About Sporty Solutionz Pvt Ltd:
Sporty Solutionz Pvt Ltd are the Commercial Partner for the Indian Badminton League and the Marketing
and Events Partners for the Yonex Sunrise India Open. The company is India’s leading TV Rights
Management Company, and has been associated with almost all the premier sporting events in India like
the IPL, Euro 2012, Sri Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, FIFA World Cup Qualifying
matches etc. Based in Noida (Delhi NCR), Sporty Solutionz also specialises in Sports Production, Events,
Talent Management & Sports PR & Press Operations.
For further information, please contact:
Nishant Shukla | Shilpi Bawa
Isha Ravi | Radhika Mehta
Adfactors PR
Sporty Solutionz Pvt Ltd.
9811515535|9711306385
9871713237|9899143566