“Indian badminton is on the rise right now” - Dhruv Kapila on the promising future of badminton in the country
The Premier Badminton League saw a huge rise in the fan following of badminton in the country. At the same time, it gave the upcoming Indian shuttlers an opportunity to gain experience playing against some of the top players in the world. However, due to several different reasons, the league was discontinued.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, rising badminton star Dhruv Kapila gave his thoughts on hosting the tournament once again.
"If they would have managed to do the PBL last season and this season, it would have been great because Indian badminton is on the rise right now," Dhruv said. "And they should have done it, but I don't know for what reason it isn't happening. But let's see for the next year what happens on the PBL side."
Dhruv also spoke about whether he sees top players like Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty finding time from their busy calendars to take part in the affair.
"See, I think this is an Olympic year, so I think it's going to be difficult," he continued. "But eventually, if it's happening, obviously everyone will find time for PBL. And, I think Satwik and Chirag will be the icons in the next PBL. They must be icons, so let's see. And they will be available, I think, for the PBL."
"I don't think they should change anything because it's good" - Dhruv Kapila on the packed calendar of Indian shuttlers
The BWF calendar has seen an increase in the number of tournaments it conducts every year. Several top players have voiced their concern about having a rest period between two important competitions.
However, Dhruv Kapila has a slightly different opinion. The 23-year-old trainee at the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad said:
"I don't think they should change anything because it's good. There are many tournaments. If you are injured, you can play in upcoming tournaments. There are many tournaments. So, you have choice again to play. You can choose the tournaments like whichever you want to play in."
He added:
“I think every week tournaments. You can't just keep on playing all the tournaments; you have to choose wisely, like whichever you want to play. But I don't think they have to change anything. It's fine. I think, for me, it's fine. I don't know what the rest of the people are.”
The Indian badminton contingent recently won a silver medal in the men’s team championship at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou. Dhruv Kapila now has his eyes set on a berth for the Paris Olympics happening next year, and Indian fans hope the doubles specialist can secure his place and continue to make the country proud.