The fate of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) title went down to the fifth and final rubber, and it was Bengaluru Raptors which emerged triumphant. With the summit clash tied at 3-3, it was left to the men’s doubles specialists to provide a memorable last hurrah.
The packed crowd at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium rallied behind the home team, cheering every move made by Hendra Satiawan and Mohammad Ahsan. At the end of a tense affair, Satiawan-Ahsan prevailed 15-13, 15-10 over the Mumbai Rockets duo of Jung Kim-Dae Lee. The entire Bengaluru squad rushed to the court to celebrate, with jubilant coach Arvind Bhat first on the scene.
Going ahead
Earlier, Mumbai took a 2-0 lead, on the back of Kim Jung and Pia Bernadet’s 15-8, 15-14 victory over Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith. Jung-Pia ran away with the first game, showcasing terrific net play and communication. Ellis-Lauren fought hard in the second to make it 14-14, before a schoolboy error brought their end. Ellis chose to leave a straightforward service, which landed inside.
K. Srikanth capped off his unbeaten run in the tournament with a 15-7, 15-10 win over Anders Antonsen. Srikanth started the rubber with a crosscourt smash winner, and didn’t look back. The World No.8, his team’s star player, notched up his seventh win on the trot.
Bengaluru’s Vu Thi made it 3-2 when she cruised past P. Shreyanshi 15-8.15-9.
Sai Praneeth falters
Sai Praneeth could have brought home the trophy early with a positive result in the second men’s singles, but he came up against an inspired Sameer Verma.
Praneeth looked in control in the early stages, taking the first game. Sameer then caught fire, leaving Praneeth with no answers. It was exhibition stuff from Sameer in the decider, pulling out the crispest of smashes and most delicate of drops to record a 7-15, 15-12, 15-3 win.
Sameer pulled his side level to 3-3, leaving it to the doubles specialist to provide a fitting end to the tournament.
The result (final):Bengaluru Raptors bt Mumbai Rockets 4-3 (Marcus Ellis & Lauren Smith lost to Kim Jung & Pia Bernadet (T) 8-15, 14-15; K. Srikanth bt Anders Antonsen 15-7, 15-10; Vu Thi (T) bt P. Shreyanshi 15-8, 15-9; Sai Praneeth lost to Sameer Verma 7-15, 15-12, 15-3; Hendra Satiawan & Mohammad Ahsan bt Jung Kim & Dae Lee 15-13, 15-10) .
