Indian Badminton League: 5 players to watch out for

The star players of the IBL at the unveiling of the IBL trophy on August 13, 2013 in New Delhi (Getty Images)

Badminton is going to come home in a new avatar this August in the form of the Indian Badminton League which is set to provide a fortnight of entertainment between August 14 and August 31. There are a whole host of players that we will get to see, right from seasoned stars to promising youngsters.

We take a look at 5 players to watch out for through the tournament:

1. Saina Nehwal (Hyderabad Hotshots)

Saina Nehwal will be leading the charge for her hometown franchise the Hyderabad Hotshots (Getty Images)

India’s top badminton player hasn’t exactly had the best of years in 2013. Saina is still in search of her first tournament win this year. In her 9 tournament appearances so far this year, she is yet to make the final, having fallen at the semi-final stage 4 times.

She will also be keen to rebound from her quarterfinal loss at the World Championships to Korean Bae Yeon Ju, a match she was expected to win. There will be much attention on India’s No.1 at the IBL and Saina will be keen to make amends by helping her Hyderabad team to a title push.