PBL: No Saina, no problem for Awadhe Warriors as they beat Chennai Smashers

Guwahati, December 23: Awadhe Warriors overcame the last-minute pullout of star player Saina Nehwal to beat defending champions Chennai Smashers in the Premier Badminton League (PBL) opener here on Saturday (December 23).

Awadhe Warriors won both their men's singles and mixed doubles to take an unassailable 3-0 lead (4-0 on points) in the five-match duel at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium.

Proudly inaugurated @PBLIndiaLive in Guwahati and interacted with the galaxy of shuttlers. Another mega sporting extravaganza that will go a long way in further popularising the game and consolidating Guwahati's position as a major sports hub. pic.twitter.com/5Lk5Nge4EX

— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) December 23, 2017

World No 3 Kidambi Srikanth downed Frenchman Brice Leverdez 15-12, 15-14 to build upon the successes of Parupalli Kashyap and the mixed doubles pair of Christinna Pedersen and Tang Chun Man earllier.

The resilient Frenchman stretched Srikanth in both the games but the Indian closed out the second via sudden death after they were tied 14-all.

Glad to see enthused participation of Guwahatians at @PBLIndiaLive. A colourful dance show begins as part of inaugural ceremony.#PBLInGuwahati #Badminton@BAI_Media @Ra_THORe pic.twitter.com/AFCJC06Bvs

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) December 23, 2017

Kashyap won his singles against Daniel S Farid 15-12, 15-8 to give them an additional advantage as Warriors had ticked this encounter as their Trump Match. The victory gave them two points as against the usual one point for a win.

Kashyap dominated the encounter and sealed the contest in straight games.

Warming up for the 3rd match and all set to go at #gauhati..goo @srikidambi @StarSportsIndia #AwadheWarriors pic.twitter.com/xjURbmkjOT

— Awadhe Warriors (@awadhewarrior) December 23, 2017

Earlier, Christinna and Tang provided an ideal start to Awadhe's campaign by shocking fancied English couple Chris and Gabrielle Adcock 10-15, 15-5, 15-12. The world No 9 Adcocks started off well by pocketing the first game but the Danish girl Christinna and Hong Kong's Tang fought back brilliantly to turn the tables on the English pair.

Ankle injury forces Nehwal out

Awadhe Warriors' star attraction Sania Nehwal was ruled out of the opener as she had not fully recovered from an ankle niggle on the right leg.

Awadhe coach Anup Sridhar, however, was hopeful Saina will turn out at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi for their second match against North East Warriors on December 30.

Sridhar, who along with Siyadath Ullah are part of the Awadhe coaching setup, said in a statement: "Saina is recovering from a small ankle issue which she had developed few weeks back. She is recovering well and we are expecting her to be fully fit for the next match."

The Coaches doing their magic!!!#SmashPodu #ChennaiSmashers pic.twitter.com/QXndj9AORY

— Chennai Smashers (@ChennaiSmashers) December 23, 2017

Saina's absence on the inaugural day's match of the PBL meant her high-voltage clash with arch-rival and Chennai Smashers' P V Sindhu could not take place. But their meeting cannot be ruled out completely as both teams can still face off in the semi-final or final.

Sindhu faced Sai Uttejitha Rao instead in the women's singles contest.

Although Chennai were down 0-3, their men's double pair of Chris Adcock and Yang Lee gave their team first win of the match after defeating Hendra Setiawan and Or Chin Chung 15-11, 10-15, 15-11.

Star player Sindhu had an easy outing as she got the better of Sai Uttejitha Rao 15-10, 15-9 in the last match of the evening.