Finally, we have four finalists in this journey of Indian Badminton League. They will be Awadhe Warriors, Pune Pistons, Mumbai Master and Hyderabad Hotshots. The final position on the point table is not fixed as Hyderabad Hotshots are yet to play a match and that too against the mighty Banga Beats. So, it can be expected that they will be on the top of the table at the end of the day. Currently, Awadhe Warriors and Pune Pistons are on the top of the table with 16 points each. The second position is shared by Mumbai Masters and Hyderabad Hotshots. Krrish Delhi Smashers are placed 5th with 12 points. We will now discuss the review of previous match i.e., between Awadhe Warriors and Pune Pistons and then the preview for the next upcoming match i.e., between Hyderabad Hotshots and Banga Beats.
Awadhe Warriors v/s Pune Pistons (26th August)
Pune Pistons vs Awadhe Warriors –PV Sindhu in action !
A must win game for Awadhe Warriors and they did it in style. This was the first match in the Hyderabad Leg. After this game, we all are very clear with the 4 finalists that we will be having for semis. The game started in the favour of Awadhe Warriors as they won first 3 games at a stretch and then losing last 2 games, so winning the match by 3-2. It was again P.V. Sindhu who was playing against Juliane Schenk, gave them edge in this match. She won the game with a score of (21 – 20) & (21 – 20) in each set. This game is considered as one of the closest game in Indian Badminton League so far. She was announced as the Vodafone Player of the Tie for this wonderful performance. Above all, this was first win for P.V. Sindhu against the world number 3. Both the teams must have a lot of learning’s before going into semis after this game. Pune need to work on Single games whereas Awadhe Warriors will look to work on Mixed Doubles, which have been their weaknesses so far.
Hyderabad Hotshots v/s Banga Beats (27th August, 2000 hrs)
This is going to be the last game before semis. Banga Beats will to grab the 5th position by winning this game so that they don’t come last in Indian Badminton League. At the same time, Hyderabad Hotshots will look to grab the first position, which doesn’t seem to be a daunting task for them. The only problem with Banga Beats is with their strategy. They are not able to find a perfect pair for Mixed Doubles, which has cost them a lot of games. The only positive outcome for Banga Beats strategy was to send Carolina Marin for Women Singles. She will be the player to watch out for in this game from Banga Beats. Hyderabad Hotshots are at their best so far as they have 3 out of 4 games and their captain, Saina Nehwal is still unbeatable. The only problem with Hyderabad Hotshots is that they don’t have a fixed double pair, which they will definitely try to look on before semis.