Hyderabad Hotshots team after victory in Semi (Photo credits : Indian Badminton League)
Finally, we have Hyderabad Hotshots as our first finalists for Indian Badminton League. The game was completely one sided as Hyderabad Hotshots won all the three encounters in a row giving no chance to Pune Pistons. It was a big gift to home crowd by Hyderabad Hotshots who were playing at their home ground i.e., Hyderabad. The game started with Men’s Singles category and it was again Ajay Jayaram from Hyderabad Hotshots who won against Tien Minh Nyugen from Pune Pistons with a score of (21 – 17) and (21 – 11). This is a second victory in a row for Ajay Jayaram against Tien Minh Nyugen.
Then, the second was between Saina Nehwal and Juliane Schenk. The game lasted for three sets and finally it was again Saina Nehwal who won the game with a score of (21 – 10), (19 – 21) and (11 -8). This is 6th win for her in a row as she has won all the games in this Indian Badminton League. Finally, it was Men’s Double Category where Pune Pistons was expected to take the advantage but then it was again Hyderabad Hotshots who won ending the whole match in just three encounters eliminating the need of last two games. Ajay Jayaram was selected as the Vodafone Player of the Tie.
IBL Semifinal – 2: Awadhe Warriors v/s Mumbai Masters (29th August, 2000 hrs)
The second semifinal of Indian Badminton League is going to be between Awadhe Warriors and Mumbai Masters at Bangalore. For both Awadhe Warriors and Mumbai Masters, this is a neutral venue. This is going to be a totally action packed game and Hyderabad Hotshots will definitely be looking forward to it as they will have to play against the winner of this game in Indian Badminton League on 31st August at Mumbai.
Talking the teams, Mumbai Masters look strong but only in Men’s Singles. They have two world class players who have been doing a remarkable job for them and they are Lee Chong Wei and Vladmir Ivanov. Vladmir Ivanov has been the most consistent player for them. The only issue for Mumbai Masters is Women’s Singles as they will be facing P.V. Sindhu in this category, who has won her last three games. In their last encounter, it was Awadhe Warriors who won the game which will definitely provide them an edge over Mumbai Masters in terms of morale.
For me, Awadhe Warriors look strong as they are high on morale and there three wins in the league matches have been quite remarkable. But at the same time, if Mumbai Masters comes out with a different strategy to tackle Women’s Singles or either one of the doubles, then it can be a victory for them as they have the best players for Men’s Singles category who have been ensuring them a win from last five games. We will be covering the complete game tomorrow with its review and the preview for final match and how the strategies are going to be in final. Till then, Bye!
