Deccan Chronicle

Sindhu vs Marin to kick off PBL

Bengaluru Blasters to take on Delhi Acers in second match on Day One of PBL season-2

- DC CORRESPOND­ENT

The star studded Premier Badminton League season 2 is all set to kick off at Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Sunday with the Hyderabad Hunters taking on Chennai Smashers in a tie that boasts of several subplots, the prime one being the repeat of the Rio Olympics women’s singles final when P. V. Sindhu takes on Carolina Marin.

Hyderabad girl Sindhu will turn up for the Chennai Smashers though as Spaniard Marin tries to rally the home crowd behind her. The match will surely be a feast for spectators.

Having had to settle for silver at Rio, Sindhu would be yearning to beat Marin and avenge her loss in the Olympic final but knows well that the stubborn southpaw is quite a tough customer on the badminton court. It remains to be seen who pulls out the best punches on the day.

The new 11-point scoring system too makes for fastpaced action and leaves little room for recovery. Both players acknowledg­e that they have to be on their toes right from the start.

Hyderabad’s Sai Praneeth and Sree Krishna Priya are the other players in the Hunters side and could well run into their training mates Parupalli Kashyap or Sumeeth Reddy, who are representi­ng the Chennai Smashers.

In another tie, Bengaluru Blasters will take on Delhi Acers. For Bengaluru Sourabh Verma would look forward to continuing his good run while Jwala Gutta of Delhi Acers will look for some early momentum and confidence for herself and her team.The Blasters would bank on Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana and Sourabh Verma in the men’s singles category while Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen, Korea’s Son Wan Ho or India’s Siril Verma are likely to lead the charge in the men’s singles for Delhi Acers.

 ?? — R. PAVAN ?? Sindhu and Marin in all smiles sharing the moments of joy in the trophy unveiling event on Friday at Hotel Trident, Hyderabad.
— R. PAVAN Sindhu and Marin in all smiles sharing the moments of joy in the trophy unveiling event on Friday at Hotel Trident, Hyderabad.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India