As the established 'icons' snuggled into their bar-stool-like chairs at the unveiling of the Indian Badminton League (IBL) trophy on Tuesday, PV Sindhu arrived, almost as if she was fashionably late.
In truth Sindhu, the country's first bronze-medal winner at the World Championships in three decades, has hardly had time for a shut-eye since her feat in Guangzhou last week. Sindhu had traveled from Guangzhou to Hyderabad and onward to New Delhi in about 48 hours.
The teenaged medallist smiled shyly when the spotlight was trained solely on her for a while as she made herself comfortable on stage.
The timing of her bronze in the women's singles couldn't have been better for the sport in India, which is making its first tryst with big-money by ushering in the franchise-based league, the curtains of which lift today at the Siri Fort Complex in New Delhi.
With eight men in the top-50 and PV Sindhu set to rise from her current No.12 position when the latest rankings are released on Thursday, Indian badminton is no longer just about Saina Nehwal or Jwala Gutta or Ashwini Ponnappa.
However, while Indian players crowding the rankings table is a good sign, it does not guarantee the success of IBL, nor assure spectators at stadiums or viewers in front of television sets.
Similar leagues in other sports have been inspired by cricket's rather successful pioneer, the Indian Premier League, but not all have proven to be sustainable.
The IBL has had its share of teething problems, including pull-outs and postponements. The full array of international stars won't be on show as powerhouse China is not participating in the event.
The World Championship men's singles gold-medal winner Lin Dan will not be here, while the match fitness of runner-up and World No.1 Lee Chong Wei is suspect after the Malaysian pulled out while trailing 20-17 in the third game of the Worlds final. Yet, there remains a sense of anticipation.
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