HIGHLIGHTS
15-12 Three points on the trot as Pune makes it two out of two. What a performance it has been on the part of the Adcocks. Hye Won lunges forward but well... it is all over!
13-12 No! Bengaluru cannot afford to do that in the closing stages of the match. A smash from Hye Won sails wide.
12-11 Another rally, another smash from Chris! Will Pune make it two on the spin?
11-11 Peng Soon could do nothing about that! Chris slams it down and does it really, really hard.
10-11 What a thriller this is turning out to be! A game of nerves, is what this is now.
9-9 One for that diving effort from our side for Hye Won, but that wouldn't help Bengaluru in the game because the Adcocks get the point. Chris with some divine placement there!
8-9 Chris finds the net now. The Adcocks wouldn't be happy with that.
7-8 The momentum shifts back to Bengaluru at the mid-game break as Gabby's shot finds the net again.
6-5 Well left Chris! Peng Soon's shots drifts off court. 7 Aces has the lead now. What a thriller this is turning out to be.
4-5 Gabby Adcock is bouncing with energy! A series of straight shots between Won and her ends with Gabby swinging across for a well-deserved point.
2-5 The 7 Aces are the ones cheering after a marathon 97-shot rally. Good judgment from Gabby who lets the shuttle sail out.
1-5 A deceptive move from Hye Won, who jumps up as if to smash one across, but immediately changes her stance, to play it softly onto the net.
1-3 New game, new life for Bengaluru, as it has taken a two-point lead now, after Chris' smash crashes onto the net.
0-1 Raptors take the first point as Hye Won slams one straight, asking difficult questions of the Adcocks. Chris had absolutely no answer to that.
GAME 3
15-11 Well done Gabby Adcock! The match is going into the decider and it is all to play for in the last game in Lucknow.
14-11 Hye Won keeps the contest running, smashing one cross-court.
12-9 Chris tries to change the angle on that smash but the point goes in favour of Bengaluru.
10-8 Chris comes in with a scorching forehand and that does it for Bengaluru, which is found wanting.
10-6 Superb reactions at the net by Chris Adcock but he pushes that one too long. Out of bounds!
10-4 A walk in the park, that's exactly what it has been for the Adcocks in the second game.
9-3 0.37 seconds - that is Chris Adcock's reaction time on the last shot! That went like a bullet.
8-3 Pune has a lead of five points, as we walk into the mid-game break.
6-3 The Pune fans are delighted as Chris rains down an unplayable smash on the other side of the court!
5-3 Chris misfires as the shuttles flies way out of bounds.
3-0 Lazy footwork from Hye Won. Pune not letting the tie slip easy as it bags the first three points.
GAME 2
10-15 A poor judgment on the part of Chris Adcock hands Bengaluru the first game. The shuttle lands well inside.
10-13 No, no. They aren't done yet. The Adcocks won't let go, that easy, would they?
9-12 Poor shot into the net from Chris Adcock. The Bengaluru Raptors have a three-point cushion now.
6-10 Gabby simply wasn't ready for it. She meets Hye Won's smash with a backhand but the power on the shot wasn't enough to take it to the other end of the court.
6-9 Peng Soon does the decent job of pushing it back again but Chris was ready for it this time. He slams it low on Hye Won's body.
5-7 A tactical masterpiece from Peng Soon, who draws both the Adcocks in front, and then pushes the shuttle to the extreme end of the court.
4-6 Finally! A long rally comes to an end as Gabby ends up finding the net again.
1-5 Gabby now! She fails to get the shuttle to the other side of the court as it gets caught in the net. Bengaluru running away with the points here at Lucknow.
0-1 Eom Hye Won to serve to Gabby Adcock. Chris, who was standing a bit too further down, fails to get to the return from Peng Soon.
GAME 1
We are one match away from knowing who takes away the honours, and once again we are down to the wire as the Adcocks face Chan
Peng Soon and Eom Hye Won in the last tie today.
15-3 Quick and easy! At one point, in the first game, this result would have seemed impossible but woah! What a performance from Setaiwan and Chirag!
14-3 Saputro swings and edges and it lands on Bengaluru's side itself.
10-3 If Setiawan doesn't, Shetty will get you. This is turning out to be a walk in the park for the 7 Aces here.
9-2 Bengaluru digging its own grave. Arun's return finds the middle of the net again.
7-2 30 shots in that rally as Arun gets the second point after the shuttle grazes the net and trickles down onto the other side of the court. Chirag smiles.
5-1 Chirag and Setiawan running away with the game now. Poor judgment from Saputro who thinks that the shuttle would be landing outside the line. Well inside the line it lands...
3-1 Almost! Chirag miscues one, as he leaps up to get one smash crashing against the nets.
2-0 Superb show of control from Setiawan hands Pune the first two points.
GAME 2
15-14 Well, who would have expected such a turnaround? Chirag and Setiawan, at one point, struggling to get points in the kitty, have staged an anti-climax. That would be PBL for you all, ladies and gentlemen!
14-14 Setiawan now! Why should Chirag hog the limelight? An epic smash makes it 14-all.
13-14 And they are right back after a humongous rally! Point to Pune.
12-14 Chirag Shetty! That is some phenomenal display from the Indian there. He flings himself to the left; some serious flexibility on exhibition there. His teammates are thrilled!
11-12 If it is a trump, you don't let go off things that easy. Pune, slowly and gradually, climbing up the ladder...
9-11 Way out of the line is that return from Chirag! Saputro has a swing at it though, almost as if to mock Chirag's efforts.
7-9 Quite the passionate rally there and Chirag is the one who breaks! Worth mentioning, Saputro standing behind George now is covering all of it like a man possessed!
7-7 Sapurto makes a diving effort and sends one across. Chirag makes it on time and not only reaches it, but also almost gets the umpire out of his chair. He apologises but the point is theirs to keep. The scores are level.
5-7 Arun George, trying to play one straight, gets it on the net. A point to Pune!
3-4 Chirag fails to make it to the other end of the court . Intelligent placement from Arun George!
0-1
A great start for the Raptors who take Chirag and Setiawan by surprise with a thundering smash.
GAME 1
It is time for Pune 7 Aces' trump match now where Hendra Setiawan and Chirag Shetty will take on the doubles pairing of Arun George and Rian Agung Saputro.
9-15 And that's done and she takes two points with it. Smashed down the centre. Ying made it a lot harder than it needed to be, letting Rituparna take the initial lead, a massive one at that.
9-14
Flick across the net. Rituparna does not get there and this is matchpoint for Ying
9-13
Too too easy here. Rituparna hits the net trying to return from close to the net.
9-12
Wide again. The cushion extending now to three points
9-11
Rituparna goes long here, she reviews to try her luck. But the review will not help her.
9-10
Ying takes another point. Beating Rituparna long the flanks.
9-9
Rituparna is wide along the net here. Ying has equalised.
9-8
Great anticipation from Ying and she also goes on the backfoot to give herself more time and flicks it over so gently across the net. Rituparna does not reach
9-7
Clever drop shot by the net from Ying and she is steadily bridging that gap
9-6 Rituparna returns wide again, goes out and Ying is happy with the result.
9-5
Ying forced to go long now. She needs more of this kind of clever, luring play.
8-5
Wide from Rituparna. The momentum and concentration has been broken it seems like now.
8-4
Another error from Rituparna
8-3
Smashes right into the net here, Rituparna. That was a good rally. Unfortunate for Rituparna to drop that point.
8-2
Rituparna forces Ying into the net while trying to flick one back across the court and enters the break leading by six points.
7-2
Lovely deceptive flick by the net. What a nice comeback. She has been studying Ying and its paying off.
6-2 Unforced error from Rituparna. She needs to focus to keep it going
6-1 What a lovely point from Rituparna. 15 shots in this rally with Rituparna smashing down on Ying. The latter eventually relents.
5-1 Beaten Ying there with a sharp angle. Ying can't reach there on time to connect properly
4-1 Ying goes long across the corner.
3-1 Another drop across the court. Three points to Rituparna
2-1 Better aggression here from Rituparna. Lovely footwork to flick it across the court.
1-1 Ying pegs back, drop shot close to the net here
1-0 Rituparna takes the first point, playing close to the net there.
Will Ying take the match here? Stay with us to find out.
GAME 2
3-15 A half-hearted smash and it's done. Fastest game of the league so far.
3-14 Drop shots here from Ying to set up gamepoint
3-12 Lovely flick across the net. Very close. Rituparna should know that's a shot she likes to play.
3-11
Ying forces Rituparna to play into the net.
3-10
Another challenge. She's gone long again and she reviews. Rituparna has touched the line again and manages another point. Ying has a huge smile on her face.
2-10
Rituparna goes long. But she thinks she's within bounds. Reviews and finds the shuttle touching the line. Lucky.
Massive ranking difference: Rituparna Das ranked 100th, Ying is World no.2
1-10
Too long from Rituparna.
1-9
Better from Rituparna as she manages to draw into rally but she goes too long. It's too easy for Ying. She is doing nothing here.
1-8 Business as usual for Ying. In the second shot here, she sends a backhand flick back into the court to head into the break with a gigantic 7-point lead.
1-6 Rituparna gets her first point. Cross court shot across by the net. Ying can't connect well enough
0-6 Beaten there again, Rituparna.
0-5 Long from Rituparna. Ying is not sweating at all here.
0-4 Rituparna dives up front to collect but her return is angled out by the net.
0-3 Long again from Rituparna. Easy points for Ying
0-2 Long from Rituparna
0-1 Service over. Ying draws first blood
GAME 1
Up Next: Bengaluru's Tai Tzu Ying vs Pune's Rituparna Das. This will be Bengaluru Raptors' trump match.
15-8 That will do it! Sai Praneeth wins his first PBL match 10-15, 15-7, 15-8.
14-8 He is taking the game away from Yew now, who smashes wide again. Just the match point now.
10-8 WHAT A SMASH! Sai Praneeth waits and waits till he gets under the shuttle, after which he gets himself the required elevation before raining it down onto the other side of the court. The Bengaluru dugout loves it!
9-7 Kean Yew losing his patience here as he smashes one across but it goes out. Sai Praneeth wouldn't mind that; he is getting into his head after all.
7-5 Sai Praneeth mixing it up nicely as he is making Kean Yew run all across the court. The lead is back up for the Indian.
4-5 Sai Praneeth's cross-court smash lacks the final execution, even though he had Kean Yew on the ropes there. Unfortunate!
3-4 A short lift and smash! Sai Praneeth bags the point as Kean Yew fails to get to the other end of the court.
1-2 The net-play has been nothing short of wonderful tonight. Kean Yew comes out on top as Sai Praneeth misreads his opponent's tactic to draw him in and get one on his body, making it impossible for the Indian to find an answer to that.
0-1 Sai Praneeth cannot believe he has missed that one.
GAME 3
15-7 And that will do it! We will be getting a third game which will decide the fate of the two shuttlers here: B. Sai Praneeth and Loh Kean Yew.
14-6 Sai Praneeth is only a point away from forcing the game into a decider.
12-4 A massive lead for the Raptors as Kean Yew just manages to reach across. The lift however sees the shuttle crash onto the net.
9-4 Kean Yew showing great accuracy there to just make the line. At one point it seemed like it was going out.
8-3 Another half-smash sees Praneeth take a lead of five with him into the break.
7-1 Sai Praneeth has established a lead of six points in the second game. What a comeback this has been! An excellent rally ends with Kean Yew slamming a powerful shot that flies out.
3-1 Sai Praneeth, the Indian who won the nation its first World Championships bronze in 36 years, hasn't had much good showing post the BWF tournament. He needs to push for a win in the second game to take things into the decider. He has taken a lead here and needs to retain it: the net assists him as it trickles onto the other side. A hard stare from the Singaporean wouldn't intimidate him.
0-1 Not the ideal start for Sai Praneeth in the second game as the shuttle floats long and... OUT!
GAME 2
10-15 That is it! That is a very, very strong start for Kean Yew in his debut PBL season. Who would have possibly expected him to take the first game against Sai?
8-9 Kean Yew forcing Sai Praneeth into the backhand corner after the Indian lifts one half-heartedly. The Singaporean set up that point beautifully.
7-8 A brilliant swing from Sai Praneeth sees the shuttle land across. Super tactical move from the World No 11 as Kean Yew fails to reach there on time.
6-7 Again the unforced error! Maybe the pressure of not having a win in the PBL so far is getting to Sai Praneeth.
6-5 A 28-shot tense rally comes to an end and Kean Yew bags a point after Sai Praneeth, who was expecting to draw in an attacking shot from Kean Yew pulls back.
4-2 So quick to get there, is Sai Praneeth! Half a smash from the Indian bu that does it. Kean Yew hardly got any time to react to that.
2-1 Sai Praneeth's lift off Kean Yew's smash a little short as it crashes against the net.
1-0 Loh Kean Yew smashes one out after Bengaluru gets to take the first serve.
GAME 1
Up next, it is Bengaluru's B. Sai Praneeth vs Pune's Loh Kean Yew.
15-9 It is all over! Easier work in the second game, I must say. Ansal can be proud of his efforts too resisting the Japanese World No 71.
Sakai clinches his first win in the PBL after losing to Mumbai Rockets' Lee Dong Keun in his side's last match.
13-9 A good strategic move from Sakai who is leading the charge for the 7 Aces. Waits for Ansal's return at the back and then swings wildly to steal a point from Ansal.
11-8 Sakai leaves the front court exposed as Ansal displays good wrist work to flick one shot across.
11-6 Now Sakai has a lead of five points. Can he wrap it up in two straight games? Or can Ansal push it into a third deciding game?
9-6 Sakai did not expect that shot to land on his side. But it does, as Ansal takes a low one from the botom of the court. Shows superb control at that as the Indian bags one point!
7-4 Ansal is picking up all of Sakai's smashes. But he couldn't get the direction right in the last shot. He misfires as the shuttles swings out of play!
5-3 Sakai took it to low to be able to control a shot at the net. Put away easily by Ansal.
3-2 Sakai drops one cross-court as Ansal loses control towards the right end of the court.
2-2 Ansal switching to an attacking game, which is not his natural style of play. He gets Sakai to go on the defensive at the back of the court when he rains in a smash, which was impossible to get to.
1-0 364 kph! That was the speed of Sakai's thundering smash to start off the second game. He is not to be messed with tonight!
GAME 2
15-14 Pune 7 Aces has clinched the first game right from the jaws of defeat! What a game this has been with Sakai winning five points on the trot!
14-14 Oh well... Game point-all! Sakai has bounced back into the game right out of nowhere.
13-14 A 33-shot rally comes to an end with Sakai bagging a point at the end of it.
12-14 Ansal heaping pressure on himself as his lead keeps eroding away! He attacks but the shuttle flies out of bounds.
10-14 One gamepoint saved by Sakai. That's an elementary unforced error from Ansal. Will Sakai have the last laugh?
9-13 Sakai and Ansal are both know for their smashes but a scorching smash from Sakai, this time, sees Ansal lose another point.
7-11 Sakai gives up as Ansal resorts to a backhand shot that just whizzes past the net to land on the other end of the court.
5-9 A 19-shot rally comes to an end with Ansal finding the net.
4-8 Delightful from Sakai as he dominated the centre court during the rally forcing Ansal to move diagonally across. A slower one gets the better of Ansal, who is unable to get back at the nick of time.
3-8 22-year-old Ansal gets a five point cushion as Sakai falters again. The youngster is absolutely showing no nerves against a shuttler who had been in the World's top-50 once.
2-5 Ansal serves. Eventually, a point goes in favour of the Japanese, after debutant Ansal fails to get to a low one across the left of the court.
1-2 Sakai misjudges the power on that shot as the shuttle goes out of play.
1-0 Sakai gets the first point against India's World No 241 Ansal.
GAME 1
To start with, we will have Pune's Kazumasa Sakai looking to bag his first win in the Premier Badminton League, with Bengaluru's Ansal Yadav standing in his way.
ORDER OF PLAY
PREVIEW
After a fabulous start to its campaign at the fifth Premier Badminton League, Pune 7 Aces will look to continue its sterling form when it clashes with Bengaluru Raptors at the Babu Banarasi Das U.P. Badminton Academy in Lucknow on Monday.
Chirag Shetty-Hendra Setiawan, Rituparna Das and Loh Kean Yew, as well as the Commonwealth Games gold medallists Chris and Gabrielle Adcock, showed remarkable resolve to guide Pune to a commanding 5-2 win over Mumbai Rockets in a highly entertaining Maharashtra derby on Saturday.
Shetty's partnership with the reigning world champion Hendra Setiawan was one of the biggest highlights of the side's victory.
In a fantastic show of resilience, the two came back to register a 14-15, 15-5, 15-6 win over two-time World Championships bronze medallists Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang.
Former national champion Rituparna Das also stormed back from a slow start to take the Aces to victory over rising star Shriyanshi Pardeshi before Thailand Masters champion Loh Kean Yew and the Adcocks contributed heavily to Pune's cause.
Pune looks absolutely a well-oiled machine which has figured out its combinations well this time as it sets sights on holding the PBL trophy aloft for the first time.
"With the superb win that we achieved in our first match, we are high on confidence. It has been a fabulous team effort. Playing alongside Hendra Setiawan has been a great learning experience for me and I am happy to have contributed to Pune's win," said the Thailand Open champion Shetty.
Bengaluru Raptors, on the other hand, didn't have a good start to its title defence. The Raptors have lost both their matches so far to the North Eastern Warriors and the Chennai Superstarz.
World Championships bronze medallist Sai Praneeth's losses have hurt the team's chances badly although it can bank on World No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying, who has a flawless 2-0 record so far in the fifth edition of PBL.
"It's still in the early stages and we are confident of making a comeback. Both our losses have been very close and it is only about remaining calm under pressure. We hope to turn the tables in our next match," said the former World No. 1.
Sai has never met the World No. 36 Loh Kean Yew on the BWF World Tour and it would be a real test of grit and hunger when the two potentially lock horns.
Bengaluru would also be hoping to ride on the great form shown by its mixed doubles pair of Chan Peng Soon and Eon Hye Won, who triumphed in both their outings so far.
With the Pune team's mixed doubles attack being spearheaded by the Adcocks, it will be a treat for the fans to witness their wizardry on the court.
(With inputs from PTI)
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