PBL 5: Bengaluru Raptors Face Mumbai Rockets, Look to Push for Semi-final Spot
Defending champions Bengaluru Raptors will hope to seal their semifinal berth when they take on bottom-placed Mumbai Rockets in the final double header of the fifth Premier Badminton League here on Tuesday.
Hyderabad, Feb 3 (PTI) Defending champions Bengaluru Raptors will hope to seal their semifinal berth when they take on bottom-placed Mumbai Rockets in the final double header of the fifth Premier Badminton League here on Tuesday.
The double header will begin with Chennai Superstarz taking on North Eastern Warriors in a battle for the top spot at the GMC Balayogi Sats Indoor Stadium here.
Bengaluru, who are at the fifth position, snapped their losing streak with a commanding 3-0 win against Hyderabad Hunters in their most recent tie.
In that match, world no. 2 Tai Tzu Ying had stormed back from a first-game loss to edge PV Sindhu, much to the disappointment of the home crowd. The Raptors would need their talisman to step up once again as they desperately seek a last-four berth.
The Raptors have suffered some very close losses despite putting in some commendable performances. They would need the entire team to click if they want to remain in contention for a successful defence of their title.
For Bengaluru to progress, their fate depends as much on their own hands as on how Pune 7 Aces and the Warriors perform.
World Championship bronze medallist Sai Praneeth is now on a two-match winning streak and the team would look up to him to deliver in a possible exciting face-off with Mumbai Rockets' Parupalli Kashyap.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist just won his first match of the season and he would look to bring that confidence into this game as the struggling Rockets look to end their season on a high.
Brice Leverdez was also a revelation and Bengaluru would hope to see him continue with the same spirit while the form of the doubles pairs too would be of vital importance.
Having already qualified for the semifinals, Chennai Superstarz and the North Eastern Warriors will look to boost their confidence ahead of the knock-out stages when they clash in their last match of the league stage.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy hurt his ankle in Chennai's last match and could be rested.
Lakshya Sen and Tommy Sugiarto would look to drive the team against the Michelle Li and Lee Yong Dae-led North Eastern Warriors in what promising to be an exciting contest. PTI
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