The inaugural edition of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) 2013, which is inspired by the success of Indian Premier League, a sporting extravaganza of Twenty20 cricket, is set to kick off on Wednesday (14 August) at Delhi.
Featuring some of the biggest names in world badminton, including India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal (world No.4), Lee Chong Wei (world No.1 from Malaysia), PV Sindhu, who won bronze medal in the recent World Championships, and several others, IBL is expected to change the face of the sports in this cricket-crazy country.
There are six franchises namely Hyderabad Hotshots, Banga Beats, Krrish Delhi Smashers, Awadhe Warriors, Pune Pistons and Mumbai Masters. Each team comprises of six Indian players, four foreigners and a junior Indian.
A total of 90 matches will be played and the teams will play matches in two legs - home and away. The top four teams will feature in the semi-finals and the winners of the semi-finals will progress to the final to be played in Mumbai on 31 August.
The tournament proposed by Badminton Association of India (BAI) will come to an end after 18 days of competition. The matches will be broadcast live on ESPN and Star Sports 2.
Match Schedule and Time Table:
| Day/Date | Time | Teams | Venue |
| Wed, 14 Aug | 08:00 pm | Krrish Delhi Smashers Vs Pune Pistons | DDA Badminton and Squash Stadium, Delhi |
| Thur, 15 Aug | 04:00 pm | Hyderabad Hotshots Vs Awadhe Warriors | DDA Badminton and Squash Stadium, Delhi |
| Thur, 15 Aug | 08:00 pm | Banga Beats vs Mumbai Masters | DDA Badminton and Squash Stadium, Delhi |
| Sat, 17 Aug | 04:00 pm | Krrish Delhi Smashers Vs Hyderabad Hotshots | Babu Banarasi Das U.P. Badminton Academy, Lucknow |
| Sat, 17 Aug | 08:00 pm | Mumbai Masters Vs Pune Pistons | Babu Banarasi Das U.P. Badminton Academy, Lucknow |
| Sun, 18 Aug | 08:00 pm | Banga Beats Vs Awadhe Warriors | Babu Banarasi Das U.P. Badminton Academy, Lucknow |
| Mon, 19 Aug | 08:00 pm | Hyderabad Hotshots Vs Pune Pistons | Sardar Patel Stadium, NSCI, Mumbai |
| Tue, 20 Aug | 08:00 pm | Krrish Delhi Smashers Vs Mumbai Masters | Sardar Patel Stadium, NSCI, Mumbai |
| Thur, 22 Aug | 04:00 pm | Hyderabad Hotshots Vs Mumbai Masters | Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Badminton Hall, Pune |
| Thur, 22 Aug | 08:00 pm | Awadhe Warriors Vs Krrish Delhi Smashers | Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Badminton Hall, Pune |
| Fri, 23 Aug | 08:00 pm | Pune Pistons Vs Banga Beats | Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Badminton Hall, Pune |
| Sat, 24 Aug | 08:00 pm | Awadhe Warriors Vs Mumbai Masters | Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore |
| Sun, 25 Aug | 08:00 pm | Banga Beats Vs Krrish Delhi Smashers | Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore |
| Mon, 26 Aug | 08:00 pm | Awadhe Warriors Vs Pune Pistons | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Tue, 27 Aug | 08:00 pm | Hyderabad Hotshots Vs Banga Beats | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Wed, 28 Aug | 08:00 pm | First Semifinal | Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad |
| Thur, 29 Aug | 08:00 pm | Second Semifinal | Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore |
| Sat, 31 Aug | 08:00 pm | Final | Sardar Patel Stadium, NSCI, Mumbai |
