Badminton: All India WMBL to begin from April 2

Mangirish Palekar

Shuttlers above the age of 35 from across the country will vie for top honours in the fourth edition of Shuttle Craze All India Women's Masters' Badminton League (WMBL) - a 12-team tournament (each team comprising 16 players) - to be held at the National Sports Club of India's (NSCI) badminton courts from April 2 to 5.

The league will see each team play singles and doubles matches in a round robin format. The participating teams are - Aries Acers, Magic Leo, Cancer Smashers, Pisces Dribblers, Scorpio Attackers, Taurus Droppers, Saggi Wanderers, Gemini Divas, Witty Virgo, Perfect Libra, Capri Achievers and Aqua Floaters.

Registrations for the event will remain open till March 25 and participants interested can log on to https://bit.ly/scwbl20 to enroll.

Talking about the initial struggle and how the event has given new hope to women, Mangirish Palekar, Shuttle Craze's director and former international shuttler, said: "The aim of conducting a tournament exclusively for women did have hiccups. But to see our participants, who came as a nervous bunch go on to win international veteran tournaments gives us immense satisfaction. What sounded as a crazy idea initially, has today helped women become achievers in their own right."

Meanwhile, Dr Arlene Ghosh, Shuttle Craze's co-director, said, "The enthusiasm and support we received from shuttlers across the state in the first three editions motivated us to take this event to an all India level. The event wouldn't have been possible without the support of Badminton Association of India (BAI) and Greater Mumbai Badminton Association (GMBA)."

Arun Lakhani, vice president of BAI and former Olympian and nine-time national champion Aparna Popat attended the event.

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