Marin, Sindhu clash to kick off PBL season 4
MUMBAI: The rivalry between marquee players, world and Olympic champion Carolina Marin and Indian badminton’s poster girl PV Sindhu, will be on display on the opening day of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) here on Saturday.
Marin, who defeated Sindhu to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is captaining Pune 7 Aces — a new entrant to the tournament making it a nine-team affair this season. Sindhu, who recently ended her disappointments in finals this year by taming Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara to win the BWF World Tour Final, leads defending champions Hyderabad Hunters.
Marin and Sindhu though avoided speaking about their rivalry on the eve of the opener saying the event was more about the team doing well.
“It’s a team event, so pressure is different. We have to think about the team and not about ourselves,” said world No 6 Marin, who holds a 7-6 advantage over world No 3 Sindhu in international matches. Notably, Marin was the Hyderabad cap- tain when they won the title last season while Sindhu was with Chennai Smashers.
Sindhu said: “I want to wish them well for they are playing in the tournament for the first time. I am looking forward to the match,” the 23-year-old said.
Olympic bronze medallist and North Eastern Warriors skipper Saina Nehwal, who had played for Awadhe Warriors in the past, was excited at the prospect of leading a new franchise, saying it gives them a rare opportunity to play as a team.
“It’s a team event, so we want to play in it. We hardly get to play such events. It’s like a festival for us and we want to enjoy for three weeks. It’s a big thing for badminton and is helping the game grow in India. For the last three seasons, I was with Awadhe Warriors. It’s exciting to be part of a new team,” she said.
‘SCHEDULE A CONCERN’
Saina though expressed concern over the jam-packed BWF calendar. “It is tough. Last year when I got to know the scheduling, it was not the way we expected. There are so many tournaments which we have to play compulsorily. Sometimes, some tournaments are not easy to play because you are tired, not mentally ready for the matches. It mostly happens towards the end of the season. There is no end of the season now. It’s only start. We have already got some tournaments in January, we don’t get any time to take off or rest.
“The pressure is too much on everyone. That’s why we are having a lot of injury. We have spoken about it but BWF wants to go with same schedule so we gave to go with it,” said the 28-year-old, who recently got married to fellow player Parupalli Kashyap, who will represent Chennai Smashers in the league this season.