PBL 2017: Chennai Smashers and Mumbai Rockets Head to The Final
Chennai Smashers and Mumbai Rockets, after defeating the Awadhe Warriors and the Hyderabad Hunters respectively, advanced to the final to lock horns with each other.
Semifinal 1: Chennai Smashers v/s Awadhe Warriors
All fans were definitely up for a treat when ace players Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu locked horns after a very long time.
The first match was between the Chris/ Gabby Adcock of Chennai and Bodin Issara/Savitree Amitrapai of Hyderabad. Both the teams had pulled out their big guns for the semis, as both teams had remained unbeatable throughout the season. The game started off with some intense rallies from both teams, as expected. The set, after some heated head to head leads, was clinched by the Adcocks at 11-9. The second set had the Thai pair take the lead with ease at 6-2. After showing a lot of fight, Issara/Amitrapai come back strongly to take the second set for the warriors. The third set, after a very tough fight, was concluded by the Thai pair, giving Awadhe a lead of 1-0.
A Rather Intense Game
The next match was between Parupalli Kashyap of Chennai and Wong Ki Vincent of Awadhe. The first game seemed all too easy for Kashyap, as he took the lead and beat Vincent in a very quick session at 11-4. The second game too had Kashyap in amazing form. The game finally ended in favour of the Hyderabadi – 11-4, 11-6, leveling Chennai at 1-1.
The third game of the day was between Tommy Sugiarto and Kidambi Srikanth. The match was very crucial in the context of the game. The game began with Srikanth taking the lead at 8-6. But after some very heated rallies, especially from Sugiarto, the game was leveled at 12-12. After some very technical moves from the game ended in favour of Srikanth. The second game started off with Sugiarto taking a lead. But after some very well-placed crosscourt smashes, the game, and the match was clinched by the Srikanth – 14-12, 11-7.
Sindhu v/s Saina: The most anticipated of the all
The most awaited match between Saina and Sindhu was the next match of the day. The first set commenced with Saina taking the lead with some very interesting body smashes. But soon, due to the immense pressure, many unforced errors were committed by her. As a result, Sindhu took the lead and beat Saina with a fascinating 11-7. The second game was literally owned by Sindhu. She very methodically grabbed every opportunity that came her way. After some very smooth rallies and smashes from Sindhu, the game, and the match, very dramatically ended in favour of her, safeguarding their spot in the race.
The final game was between V Shem Goh/Markis Kido of Awadhe and Chris Adcock/Mads Kolding of Chennai. The game was very systematic and professional. The Chennai team, due to their skilled play, breezed through the first game. The second game was definitely a nerve-wrecker. The lead shifted hands many a time. But due to some very amazing smashes and well-placed rallies, the match was clinched by the Adcock/ Kolding pair, advancing them to the final.
Semifinal 2: Mumbai Rockets v/s Hyderabad Hunters
The second semi-final, which had Mumbai squaring off against Hyderabad had a lot of action-packed games in store.
The first match was between Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin and World No.3 Sung Ji Hyun. Marin has been defeated by Hyun previously this season. This gave Marin the opportunity to avenge her loss against the Korean. The game began with Marin taking the lead with some smashes and intense rallies. While Hyun tried her best to keep but with her, the game ended in favour of the Spaniard, 11-6. The second set had Hyun fight back with a massive 5-0 lead. Slowly, making use of her strong crosscourt smashes, Hyun managed to clinch the set 11-6. The third game, was unquestionably the most interesting one. Hyun very skillfully took the lead her with delightful placements, leaving Marin at awe. The game went on very smoothly, finally concluding Hyun as the winner, 6-11, 11-6, 11-5.
The next match, which had Sameer Verma locking horns with HS Prannoy was a surely a nerve-wrecker. Both players had proved their capabilities throughout the season. The game began with Prannoy taking a clear lead. Though Sameer pulled a very tough fight, the game ended in favour of Prannoy. In the next, Sameer got back in form and put up a tough fight. The game was in favour of both the players and it was quite impossible to calculate the lead. After some very exciting rallies, the game, and the match was declared by Prannoy, who maintained his record of winning all his trump matches. The win advanced Mumbai to the finals to face the Chennai Smashers at 7:00 pm IST in New Delhi.
Picture Courtesy: IndiaTimes