Tie: Bengaluru Blasters v Awadhe Warriors
Date: 9 January, Monday
Time: 9:30pm SGT/7pm IST/1:30pm GMT
Competition: Premier Badminton League 2017
Venue: Koramangala Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru
TV Channel: There is no TV coverage in Singapore.
Live streaming: Hotstar
Overview
Bengaluru Blasters need nothing less than a big win if they are to stand any chance of making the semi-final of the second edition of Premier Badminton League.
Blasters have so far had a poor campaign at home losing two back-to-back ties. On Saturday, they lost a close tie against Hyderabad Hunters and succumbed to heavy 4-1 defeat against Mumbai Rockets on Sunday.
World number three Viktor Axelsen, who played the Trump match for Bengaluru, lost to Mumbai's Ajay Jayaram in straight games much to the disappointment of the fans, who had gathered at the stadium.
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Men's doubles pair of Sung Hyun Ko and Yeong Seong Yoo clinched a tight contest for Bengaluru against Lee Yong Dae and Nipithphon Phuangphuapet but their Men's and Women's singles players Sourabh Varma and Cheung Ngan Yi lost their matches to add to the hosts' wos.
It will be interesting to see if Bengaluru opt to choose Axelsen for their Trump match on Monday against Awadhe Warriors' Kidambi Srikanth, who is high on confidence after beating world number two Jan O Jorgensen in their earlier tie. The visitors, who are sitting pretty at the second spot with 14 points from three ties, also have Hong Kong's Vincent Ki Wong for their second Men's singles match.
Focus will also be on the Men's doubles match today, which is expected to go down the wire as top-ranked Malaysian star Goh V Shem along with Markis Kido will take on in-form Sung Hyun and Yeong Seong.
Bengaluru will be tempted to play Ashwini Ponnappa, who impressed in her Women's singles match against reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin, against Awadhe's star shuttler Saina Nehwal. With the league heading towards the business end, the home team have an uphill task against the impressive visitors. Axelsen and Co. will know they need a big, big win on Monday.
TV Schedule
India: Star Sports
Team News
Blasters
Squad: Viktor Axelsen, Yoo Yeon Seong, Porntip Buranaprasertsuk, Boonsak Ponsana, Ruthvika Gadde, Sourabh Verma, Pranaav Chopra, Ko Sung Hyun, Sikki Reddy
Warriors
Squad: Saina Nehwal, V Shem Goh, Srikanth Kidambi, Savitree Amitrapai, Wong Wing Ki Vincent, Rituparna Das, Bodin Isara, Markis Kido, Prajakta Sawant, Aditya Joshi
