Sachin ventures into badminton with Bengaluru Blasters

After being associated with the Indian Super League football team Kerala Blasters as the co-owner for two seasons now, legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has ventured into badminton with the launch of his part-owned team Bengaluru Blasters here on Thursday.

The team, aiming to make a mark in the Premier Badminton League which starts on January 1, is owned by the same consortium that runs Kerala Blasters – Tendulkar, former cricketer V Chamundi, actors Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna and Allu Arjun, and industrialist Nimmagadda Prasad.

“I have grown up playing racquet sports. Badminton requires immense fitness and flexibility. After my interaction with national coach Pullela Gopichand at the Rio Olympics, my respect and love for badminton increased. With the Blasters, we wish to unearth more talent and contribute to the game,” said Tendulkar.

The Blasters, with former international shuttler Arvind Bhatt as the coach, include some proven customers like World No 4 and Rio Olympics bronze medallist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark, doubles exponents India’s Ashwini Ponnappa and Ko Sung-hyun of South Korea.

Tendulkar said the Blasters have a bright chance of enjoying a good outing. “If you are dedicated and show intent towards your goals, favourable results will automatically follow. We (Blasters) want to adopt this policy this season,” Tendulkar added.

The former India batsman said it was a great feeling to be associated with a Bengaluru-based team. “People of Bengaluru are great lovers of sports and it is exciting to be a part of a team from this city.”