On a day the ultimate rivalry in football, El Clasico, was being played in another part of the world, there was anticipation of a similar passionate, competitive battle in the opening fixture of the third edition of the Premier Badminton League here. Awadhe Warriors' Saina Nehwal was to take on defending champions Chennai Smashers' PV Sindhu.
However, the hopes of the packed Saturday crowd inside the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium went dashed as Awadhe captain Saina pulled out minutes before the start of the proceedings, owing to a right ankle niggle from which she had not yet fully recovered. Enthusiasts of the game of all ages who had started trooping into the stadium from early evening had to be content with the world No. 3 taking on Saina's replacement, Sai Uttejitha Rao C.
"Saina is recovering from a small ankle problem which she had developed few weeks back. She is recovering well and we are expecting her to be fully fit for the next match," Anup Sridhar, the Awadhe Warriors coach, said in a statement issued by the team management. With the PBL bandwagon set to roll into the national capital after its tryst in the northeast, Sridhar said he expected Saina to play against the North Eastern Warriors at Siri Fort Sports Complex on December 30.
BCCL
While the disappointment amongst the crowd was palpable once the news of Saina's withdrawal was known, the duo of Christinna Pedersen and Tang Chun Man gave the crowd something to cheer about first up as they produced some sparkling badminton to defeat Chennai Smashers' Chris and Gabrielle Adcock 10-15, 15-5, 15-12 in their mixed-doubles match. Starting on an electrifying note, the Pedersen-Chun Man pair raced to 6-2 lead in the opening minutes of the tie as the husband-wife duo struggled at the other end. A 20-second break, however, proved to be of immense value to the Adcock pair, providing them with the interval to break their rivals' momentum.
AFP
Rattling off one point after the other, Gabrielle produced delectable dropshots while Chris, operating from the backline, smashed superbly to grab the first game by a distance.
Results: Christina Pedersen & Tang Chun Man (Awadhe Warriors) beat Chris Adcock & Gabrielle Adcock 10-15, 15-5, 15-12. P Kashyap (Awadhe Warriors) beat Daniel S Farid 15-12, 15-8 (Trump match).