Badminton buffs will get to see Saina Nehwal and Pusarla Venkata Sindhu clashing a second time in the inaugural Indian Badminton League, this time in the final on Saturday at the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) courts. Hyderabad Hotshots and Awadhe Warriors have reached the final of the world’s most expensive badminton tournament with an identical 3-2 win-loss record in the league.
The Hotshots topped the standings while their Lucknow counterparts were a point behind in second position. Exactly a fortnight back the two teams met in the first week of the tournament in Delhi and Saina-led Hotshots beat the Warriors 3-2, with the world no. four herself winning the key match against a keyed-up Sindhu in straight games.
The Warriors lost their opening two ties but recovered well to win the remaining matches thanks to Sindhu’s outstanding performance against two top overseas stars and their excellent doubles teams. Their men’s singles players K. Srikanth and Gurusaidutt were at their best while overpowering Mumbai Masters 3-2 in the semifinal. Warriors’ turnaround began here when they outplayed Krrish Delhi Smashers 4-1 and they never looked back since. The world mo.10 Hyderabadi lost her first two IBL singles matches to Saina and Carolina Marin of Banga Beats. But the teenager has regained her touch by beating top class opponents like J Schenk and Tine Baun.
Awadhe’s trump card has been 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Markis Kido. The Indonesian has joined hands with 2012 London Olympics silver medallist Mathias Boe to turn their combine into a feared one. Also, Warriors’ last three victories have been decided in the final mixed doubles rubber where Kido has formed a superb partnership with his sister Pia Bernadeth, together ranked World No.9, and have won all the three clashes.
For the Hyderabad-based team, Saina has justified her second highest IBL bid of $120,000 by winning and maintaining a 100 percent win record in the event. In men’s singles, Ajay Jayaram and Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk have done reasonably well by pulling off upset wins.
However, it will be interesting to see if the Hotshots have reserved the best for the final. Former world champion Taufik Hidayat has played only one match, which he lost. The world knows he is a moody player and, if in his elements, he can beat the best in the world.
The Hotshots topped the standings while their Lucknow counterparts were a point behind in second position. Exactly a fortnight back the two teams met in the first week of the tournament in Delhi and Saina-led Hotshots beat the Warriors 3-2, with the world no. four herself winning the key match against a keyed-up Sindhu in straight games.
The Warriors lost their opening two ties but recovered well to win the remaining matches thanks to Sindhu’s outstanding performance against two top overseas stars and their excellent doubles teams. Their men’s singles players K. Srikanth and Gurusaidutt were at their best while overpowering Mumbai Masters 3-2 in the semifinal. Warriors’ turnaround began here when they outplayed Krrish Delhi Smashers 4-1 and they never looked back since. The world mo.10 Hyderabadi lost her first two IBL singles matches to Saina and Carolina Marin of Banga Beats. But the teenager has regained her touch by beating top class opponents like J Schenk and Tine Baun.
Awadhe’s trump card has been 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist Markis Kido. The Indonesian has joined hands with 2012 London Olympics silver medallist Mathias Boe to turn their combine into a feared one. Also, Warriors’ last three victories have been decided in the final mixed doubles rubber where Kido has formed a superb partnership with his sister Pia Bernadeth, together ranked World No.9, and have won all the three clashes.
For the Hyderabad-based team, Saina has justified her second highest IBL bid of $120,000 by winning and maintaining a 100 percent win record in the event. In men’s singles, Ajay Jayaram and Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk have done reasonably well by pulling off upset wins.
However, it will be interesting to see if the Hotshots have reserved the best for the final. Former world champion Taufik Hidayat has played only one match, which he lost. The world knows he is a moody player and, if in his elements, he can beat the best in the world.