11-point format will be challenging: Gopi

After using the 15-point format in the last season, the second edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) will be played in the 11-point format. 

National coach Pullela Gopichand, also a representative of the PBL, said the 11-point format will make the sport challenging. “The purists of the game will not support the new format but it has its own positives.

“Many games can go down to the wire in a 11-point format and it is a good challenge for the players,” said Gopichand here on the sidelines of the launch of the PBL team Bengaluru Blasters on Thursday. 

The league might miss the presence of Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan, two legends of the game, but Gopichand believes the tournament can still offer quality matches with great rivalries.

“There were 17 Olympic medallists at the auction and I think the league has got the best set of players.

“The Saina Nehwal-Carolina Marin or the Marin-Sindhu (PV) rivalries will be a treat to the fans and I firmly believe that league has the potential to raise the standard of badminton,” said Gopichand.