Table-toppers Hyderabad set up semi-final clash with Delhi
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Hunters backed by sterling displays from B Sai Praneeth and Carolina Marin claimed the top spot in the Premier Badminton League here on Thursday.
Playing their last league match in front of vociferous home fans, Hyderabad downed Bengaluru Blasters 5-0 and claimed six points to swell their tally to 20 points. Ahmedabad Smash Masters are in second spot with 17 points, followed by Delhi Dashers on 15 points. Bengaluru slipped to the fourth spot with 14 points.
With the battle for the title commencing on Friday, Hydera- bad have emerged as strong contenders for the league honours. They will clash with Delhi Dashers in the first semi-final while Bengaluru face Ahmedabad Smash Masters in the second semi-final on Saturday.
It was no easy going for Hyderabad on Thursday start as their mixed doubles pair and men’s singles players Sai Praneeth and Lee Hyun Il were stretched to three games before winning their respective matches. Marin, however, faced no such difficulty as she get past Kirsty Gilmour 15-9, 15-7 in the women’s singles.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Pia Zebadiah Bernadet sarted off well against the Bengaluru duo of Manu Attiri and Sikki Reddy by winning the first game 15-6. But the Reddys fought back to level the scores 14-15. In the decider, the Hyderabad duo took charge, supported by a vociferous crowd, and won 15-9 to help Hyderabad gain their first point. Sai Praneeth faced a tougher opponent in Chong Wei Feng, who made the World No16 sweat for every point before winning 10-15, 15-7, 15-14.
Indian Arrows, the youngest outfit in the I League, desperately need their top players to fire as they take on depleted hosts Gokulam Kerala FC at the EMS Corporation Stadium here on Friday.
Odafa Okolie who has 100-odd I-league goals under his belt is the newest recruitment to them but he did little justice to his name on his debut for the Keralites. The hosts are yet to find their combination right and unwell players have added to their headache.
Coach Bino George didn’t hide his frustration. “Balwinder has chicken pox. He is admitted to the hospital. I have no idea what is happening,” he said. Meanwhile, he reiterated that the foreign signings should contribute more to churn out some positive results. “The problem with us is the lack of foreign players. We signed Odafa because it was easy to complete the paperwork. He has scored a lot of goals.”
GREAT FUTURE
He further added that Arrows boys have a great future ahead as they have their age on their side.
“Indian Arrows are showing a lot of promise for the future. Their possession and passing are all really good. The small mistakes they are committing is due to their age. They will threaten if given space.”
However, the young guns who have taken everyone by surprise until now were on the receiving end during their last outing against Shillong Lajong FC.
The Kerala-based side also had the last laugh against the young guns in the first leg played at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. Coach Matos recalled that match as ‘a strange game.’ “The match against Gokulam in Delhi was a strange game.they scored the first goal from a corner. Their second goal was from a free-kick. At the end, they got the three points.”