Gopichand is doing a good job: Juliane Schenk

BADMINTON: German badminton player, Juliane Schenk, applauded India’s cheif badminton coach Pullela Gopichand for his services.

"Badminton has huge potential and the IBL is setting new standards. Gopichand is doing a great job with the players and an increasing number of Indians are now emerging into the world tour and challenging the more established and experienced players. PV Sindhu, Srikanth, Sai Praneeth and HS Prannoy are all doing well lately," the 2012 World Championship bronze medalist said.

"I think one of the biggest challenges will be to form a strong team with different players coming from different countries.

"As you have five matches in each team encounter and almost each two days, getting the team into the rhythm with hectic travelling will be the key. The team which can connect the players and the coaches well with each other will stand a good chance of winning.

"I have many good memories of playing in India and I’ll simply try my best to enjoy each single match and also help my team-mates to perform. But yes, playing Indian players on home soil will always be challenging as I guess they won’t lack any motivation.

"For the first time in badminton history, there is a league where teams can buy players and bid for them at an auction. The IBL opens up the market and brings new perspective not only to players, but also to the sport in general.

"The concept of auctioning players is common in soccer and cricket, but the IBL has introduced an interesting dimension to badminton by creating a new value for players in the market.

The Indian Badminton League, popularly known as IBL, will commence from August 14, with Krrish Delhi Smashers playing the Pune Pistons in the first tie.