The second edition of the Premier Badminton League is all set to kick off today in Hyderabad with two matches set to take place as the Chennai Smashers take on the Hyderabad Hunters, with the pick of the matches set to be PV Sindhu vs Carolina Marin. The second match of the day sees the defending champions, the Delhi Acers take on the Bengaluru Blasters.
Check out the ticket information for the PBL
The Hyderabad Hunters will be looking to improve on last season's performance which saw them finish fifth on the points table and just missing out on a semifinal place. The Hunters have recruited some really top players for this season with the likes of B Sai Praneeth and Rajiv Ouseph coming in. They also managed to get in doubles specialist in Tan Boon Heong and Tan Wee Kiong for this edition of the tournament. But the Hyderabad Hunters will be looking at their star performer in Carolina Marin as they look to win their first PBL title.
While the Chennai Smashers reached the semifinals last year, they will be looking to do one better this season and given the players they have in their squad they might just be able to do so. They have three of the best men's badminton players in P Kashyap, Tanongsak Saensonboonsuk and Tommy Sugiarto. They also managed to rope in husband wife duo in Chris and Gabriella Adcock who will most likely play in the mixed doubles games. But all eyes will be on PV Sindhu as she will take on Carolina Marin and she will be looking to avenge her loss at the 2016 Rio Olympics finals when the two face off.
The second match of the day sees the Bengaluru Blasters take on defending champions Delhi Acers. The Bengaluru Blasters will be hoping for a better season than last after they finished at the bottom of the table. The team which is co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar have recruited some really top players in Viktor Axelsen and Boonsak Ponsana. They also have India's best doubles player in Ashwini Ponnappa.
The Delhi Acers will be looking to get their title defense off to a winning start when they take on the Bengaluru Blasters. Jan O Jorgensen who won a gold medal at the recent China Open will lead the line for the Acers along with Korean Son Wan Ho. They also have Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov who are two of the best doubles players in badminton at the moment.
Where to watch live
The Premier Badminton League match between the Hyderabad Hunters vs Chennai Smashers is set to start at 7:00pm IST and Bengaluru Blasters vs Delhi Acers is set to start at 10:00pm IST.
India: TV: Star Sports 1/HD1 (English), Star Sports 3/HD3 (Hindi). Live Streaming: Hotstar
