Mumbai Rockets beat Hyderabad Hunters 4-1 at the Star Sports Premier Badminton League

Hyderabad Hunters out of contention for a semi-final berth while Mumbai Rockets still hopeful

Hyderabad, January 11, 2016: With the Star Sports Premier Badminton League 2016 all set to enter the business end soon, the teams playing the Tie today looked at getting as many points in their name as possible, helping them to qualify for the semi finals.

The Trump Match yet again proved to be the turning point of the Tie as Hyderabad Hunters leading 2-0 saw fate changing hands as P Kashyap playing the all important Trump for his team lost the match to HS Prannoy. This immediately got the Hunters on a back-foot as they lost a point on the scoreboard. Mumbai Rockets in the next game played their Trump match and won it because of good play by Gurusai Dutt. Mumbai Rockets went on to win the Tie 4-1, sealing the fate of Hyderabad Hunters as they will not qualify for the semi-final berth from here.

The first match saw Liu Zi Die dominating the proceedings as she took on Supanida K. She won the first game giving Supanida to rethink her strategies. Supanida came back strongly in the second and third game and on both occasions locked at 14 14 against Liu Zi Die she proved to be the better player to thrive under pressure and which allowed her to win the closely contested match. The win helped Hyderabad open their account on the scoreboard.

While Mumbai Rockets were hoping that their Men's Doubles duo will win their match against Markis Kido and Carsten Mogensen, but unfortunately for Vladimir Ivanov and Chayut T they were unable to control their opponents as they soon raced to 15 points, winning the opening game. The second game saw the Rockets Duo getting some rhythm back as they tried to bounce back in the match. Trialing the game they successfully got the game locked at 14 14. But unfortunately for Mumbai the last point went in favor of Hyderabad Hunters, giving the hosts 2 points to their name in the Tie.

A lot depended on P Kashyap as it was his Trump game and his team members hoped that he will beat HS Prannoy get them another two points. While Kashyap started the game with a resolve to win as he started dominating the game. But he slowly lost the hold in the game as HS Prannoy eventually won the first game of the match. High on confidence, Pannoy continued his aggression in the second game and went on to win the match. The win got the Hunters immediately on the back foot as they lost a point and the scoreboard tied at 1-1.

The second Men's Singles was yet again a Trump Match and this time it was for the Mumbai Rockets. Taking the responsibility to ensure a win was Gurusai Dutt and he stood up to his team’s faith on him. Playing against the young Siril Verma the first game witnessed few exciting moments as Siril gave a tough fight to Gurusai Dutt. There was even a moment when the young player was leading the first game, giving his team and the spectators a hope that he might win the match and which would help turn the tables for Hyderabad Hunters. But unfortunately the experienced Gurusai Dutt soon got into a good rhythm and controlled the match, going on to win the match in two games. This win ensured that the Rockets now lead the tie at 3-1 and even sealing it in their name post the match.

While Mumbai Rockets were playing to add one more point to their tally, Hyderabad Hunters played with an aim to close the point’s gap and end the tie on a high. The Mixed Doubles duo of Mumbai Rockets controlled the first game of the match as they won it convincingly against Markis Kido and Jwala Gutta. The second game saw a similar story as the Rockets yet again stamped a convincing victory on the second game and the match. This took the final score of the Tie to 4-1.

After winning the Women's Singles match, Supanida Katethong (HH) stated “The match was an absolute stunner, the score line explains everything. I am relieved to have won the first match of the Tie. I lost the first game but when I spoke to my teammates during the break the conversation proved to be a real booster for me. I am sure this match will go down as one of the best matches of Star Sports Premier Badminton League 2016. I congratulate Liu to be a part of this amazing match.

After the win the Hyderabad Hunters Men’s Doubles duo said “We were quite convinced about our win in this match and with Supanida winning the first game we have now a lead of 2 points. The next game is our Trump game which we hope to win and add more points to our tally. Today is our last Tie and we have to accumulate as many points as possible which will help us qualify for the semis.”

Post winning the Men’s singles match, a jubilant H.S. Prannoy commented “This was a very important match for us as we had already lost the first two matches and I am happy to have opened our team’s account. This was a Trump match for them but we managed to snatch a victory now hopefully our team can concentrate and win the rest of the matches.

Post his win Gurusai Dutt said “I am pretty satisfied with the result of the game. He played brilliantly and gave made me rethink on how to tackle him. This win also marks us taking ttha lead in the Tie and also marking our victory in the Tie. Siril is a very talented youngster and thanks to Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta for providing him with a huge platform to showcase his talent. I wish Siril good luck for his future.

Commenting on the win, the Mixed Doubles pair said “It’s always a good feeling to close the Tie with a win. We are very happy today as we have won the Tie and are in contention for a semis berth. We have one more game against Delhi Acers before we enter the semi-final stage. We are hopeful that we will beat them too”.

The match tally was as follows:

Mumbai Rockets vs Hyderabad Hunters: 4-1 (points)

Fastest Smash of the Day (Male) – Valdimir Ivanov (MR) 415 KMPH

Fastest Smash of the Day (Female) – Kamilla Juhl (MR) 317 KMPH

Longest Rally of the Day – Siril Verma (HH)– 33 shots against Gurusai Dutt

Most Valuable Player – H.S.Prannoy (MR)

Schedule for 11th January 2016 Star Sports PBL:

Mumbai Rockets vs Delhi Acers: 2.30pm (Bengaluru)

Bengaluru Top Guns vs Chennai Smashers: 6.30pm (Bengaluru)