Bengaluru: Coach Vimal Kumar on Monday says there is no need for ace shuttler Saina Nehwal to stay away from the Premier Badminton League as the league is not a “strenuous affair” like other international tournaments.
“There is no need for Saina to stay away from playing the Premier Badminton League. It adds to her career profile. The league will not not be a strenuous affair because it is not as competitive as international tournaments,” Kumar said when asked whether it would be prudent to rest Saina for the league as she has just recovered from an injury.
Saina endured a difficult season this year as she recovered from a foot injury to win the Australian Open but suffered a major knee injury in the Rio Olympics to bow out of the event in the second round.
Kumar said the PBL is not played for two months as the cricket league.
“The PBL is not like the Indian Premier League or any other cricket league, which goes on for two months. It happens for two weeks which gets a lot of attention,” he said.
“The PBL will in no way affect the training programme of the Indian women’s singles star because there are at 15 to 16 international tournaments,” he said.
Also, Saina will get adequate time to prepare for big events after the league and hence it should not bother her, Kumar said.
“She will be playing but still will have time of about five to six weeks to prepare, for major big events,” he said.
