BDMNTN-XL (pronounced “Badminton-Excel” and often referred to as BXL) is an international badminton tournament organised by Eclat Media Group and SPOTV Media. The inaugural event was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in October 2024.
History.
According to SPOTV Media CEO Lee Choong Khay, the idea to deliver a unique and innovative badminton experience for players and fans came about in 2023.
A launch press conference with Indonesian badminton icons Hendra Setiawan and Fajar Alfian in attendance was held on 25 September 2024 in Jakarta and a prize pool of nearly US$1,000,000 was announced for the inaugural edition.
It first took place at Istora Gelora Bung Karno from October 31 to November 3, 2024, starring the likes of back-to-back Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen, 2023 BWF World Championships men’s singles champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn, South Korean badminton legend Lee Yong-dae and Malaysian men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik among its star-studded line-up. Blitzers defeated Hurricanes in the first-ever finals.
Competition format.
BDMNTN-XL is a team tournament featuring 28 badminton players grouped into four teams: Lightning, Blitzers, Hurricanes and Rockets.
Each team comprises four male and three female players to compete in five categories: Men's singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and 3x3.
Unlike a regular badminton match, each category is played over four sets with a time limit and there are no minimum or maximum points required. If a match is tied at 2-2, a sudden-death tiebreaker known as the Shuttle Showdown is played. Whoever reaches 2-0 or 3-1 first in the Shuttle Showdown wins the deciding set and the category.
For the 3x3 category, a team must field at least one female player per set. Substitutions are allowed between sets.
The winning objective of a match between teams is to collect a minimum of five points. The 3x3 category is worth three points, two categories handpicked by the involved teams are worth two points and the remaining two categories are worth one point.
The four teams play each other in a single-round robin format, with the top two teams advancing and facing off in the finals.
Reception.
Viktor Axelsen said he enjoyed being able to compete and entertain fans at the same time.
Aaron Chia hailed the 3x3 category for being “interesting, fun and fast”.
Hendra Setiawan praised the Shuttle Showdown tiebreaker as an exciting concept.
2010 Commonwealth Games women’s doubles champion Ashwini Ponnappa called it “a fun badminton event”.
Former Malaysian shuttler Tan Boon Heong said it was “a breakaway from the traditional game” and “good for the sport”.