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 badminton players from around the world to compete in several categories, with 3x3 being the standout.
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.
The winning objective of a tie between teams is to collect a minimum of five points.
The four teams play each other in a single-round robin format, with the top two teams advancing and facing off in the finals. + Previous Format(2024) Enhanced Format(2025 onward)Number of Teams4 (Blitzers, Hurricanes, Lightning, Rockets)UnchangedNumber of Players28 (4 male & 3 female each)32 (4 male & 4 female each)CategoriesMS, WS, MD, WD, 3x3MS, WS, 3x3 (twice)Games4 x 10-minute games4 x 8-minute games 3x3 Player SubstitutionBetween gamesAnytimeScoring SystemNo minimum/maximum points per game. A game is played to the buzzer.No minimum/maximum points per game. If a game score has a margin of 3 or fewer at the buzzer, the Pressure Point is activated, requiring the leading side to win one more point to win the game.Tiebreaker (Shuttle Showdown)If a match is tied at 2-2, the Shuttle Showdown (first to 2-0 or 3-1) is played.UnchangedBXL Points3x3 = 3 points Any two categories picked by respective teams = 2 points each
Remaining categories = 1 point each
The first to 5 points wins the tie.3x3 = 3 points MS & WS = 1 point each
The first to 5 points wins the tie.Ultimate Shuttle Showdown-If a tie ends on equal points, a MS or WS match is played (first to 5 points) to determine the winning team of the tie.
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”.
Results EditionYearDatesHost CityWinnerScoreRunner-Up I 2024 October 31-November 3 Jakarta, Indonesia Blitzers 7-2 Hurricanes II2025October 2 - 5Jakarta, IndonesiaHurricanes7-1Rockets
Players Bold Indicates the winning team of an edition Player Total Appearance(s) 2024Jakarta 2025Jakarta Michelle Li 1 - Blitzers Alexandra Bøje 2 Blitzers Rockets Mathias Christiansen 2 Hurricanes Hurricanes Mia Blichfeldt 1 - Rockets Viktor Axelsen 2 Lightning Lightning Lee Cheuk Yiu 2 Hurricanes Rockets Tang Chun Man 1 Lightning - Tse Ying Suet 2 Rockets Lightning Ashwini Ponnappa 1 Lightning - Chirag Shetty 1 - Blitzers Rutaparna Panda 1 - Lightning Swetaparna Panda 1 - Rockets Treesa Jolly 1 - Hurricanes Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 1 - Hurricanes Apriyani Rahayu 1 - Blitzers Fajar Alfian 1 - Lightning Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja 2 Hurricanes Hurricanes Greysia Polii 1 Lightning - Hendra Setiawan 1 Rockets - Jonatan Christie 1 - Blitzers Melati Daeva Oktavianti 1 - Rockets Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 1 - Hurricanes Muhammad Rian Ardianto 1 - Rockets Sabar Karyaman Gutama 2 Blitzers Blitzers Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti 1 - Hurricanes Aya Ohori 1 Hurricanes - Kodai Naraoka 2 Rockets Rockets Misaki Matsutomo 2 Rockets Blitzers Yuta Watanabe 2 Lightning Lightning Aaron Chia 1 Hurricanes - Chen Tang Jie 1 Rockets - Goh Sze Fei 1 - Hurricanes Lai Pei Jing 1 - Blitzers Nur Izzuddin Rumsani 1 - Lightning Ong Yew Sin 2 Blitzers Blitzers Shevon Jemie Lai 1 - Lightning Soh Wooi Yik 1 Lightning - Teo Ee Yi 2 Hurricanes Rockets Toh Ee Wei 1 Blitzers - Selena Piek 1 Hurricanes - Kirsty Gilmour 1 - Hurricanes Yeo Jia Min 1 Rockets - Lee Yong-dae 1 Rockets - Seo Seung-jae 1 Blitzers - Kunlavut Vitidsarn 1 Blitzers - Pornpawee Chochuwong 1 Blitzers - Ratchanok Intanon 1 Lightning - Nguyen Thuy Linh 1 - Lightning Captain Total Appearance(s) 2024Jakarta 2025Jakarta Greysia Polii 1 - Lightning Hendra Setiawan 1 - Blitzers Flandy Limpele 2 Lightning Hurricanes Vita Marissa 2 Rockets Rockets Rosman Razak 1 Hurricanes - Phattapol Ngernsrisuk 1 Blitzers -
Broadcasters Edition Broadcasting Territory Jakarta 2024 Indonesia (MNC Vision, K Vision, First Media, Vidio, IndiHome), Malaysia (Astro, Unifi TV), Philippines (SkyCable, Cignal), Singapore (Singtel TV, StarHub TV), Thailand (TrueVisions), Vietnam (MyTV), South Korea (SPOTV), Hong Kong (PCCW), Macau (Macau Cable TV), Denmark (TV 2)Jakarta 2025 Indonesia (MNC Vision, K Vision, First Media, Vidio, IndiHome), Malaysia (Astro, Unifi TV), Philippines (SkyCable, Cignal), Singapore (Singtel TV, StarHub TV), Thailand (TrueVisions), Vietnam (MyTV), South Korea (SPOTV), Macau (Macau Cable TV), Unbeaten (Rest of the World)
References