PBL 2017 | Mumbai to play Chennai for title in Delhi

01/14/2017

Mumbai Rockets continued their impressive display in the second season of the PBL qualifying for the finals after they beat a Carolina Marin-led Hyderabad Hunters in the semi-final. The Rockets will be joined by Chennai Smashers, who breezed past the Awadhe Warriors in the other semi-final.

Awadhe Warriors vs Chennai Smashers

Awadhe Warriors got off to a great start with Savitree Amitrapai and Bodin Isara beating the in-form Chris Adcock and Gabrielle Adcock in three to take the lead in the match. However, Chennai's P Kashyap made little work of Vincent Wong Wing Ki leveling the match at 1-1. In the second men's singles, it was Awadhe star Srikanth Kidambi's turn to give his team the lead again as he defeated Tommy Sugiarto 14-12, 11-7.

Chennai then made the first move as they picked the much-awaited match between Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu as their Trump match. It was Sindhu's power that came out on top giving Chennai the lead for the first time in the match. The last match between Awadhe's Goh V Shem/Markis Kido and Chennai's Chris Adcock/Mads Pieler Kolding eventually automatically became a mini semi-final. It was the Chennai-duo who came out on top and booked a place in the final.

Results

Awadhe 1-4 Chennai

Amitrapai/Isara 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 Adcock/Adcock

Vincent Wong Wing Ki 4-11, 6-11 P Kashyap

Srikanth Kidambi 14-12, 11-7 Tommy Sugiarto

Saina Nehwal 7-11, 8-11 P V Sindhu(T)

Shem/Kido(T) 3-11, 10-12 Adcock/Kolding

Mumbai Rockets vs Hyderabad Hunters

The first match of the tie was between the two highest ranked women players in the league as Hyderabad's Carolina Marin took on the challenge of Mumbai star Sung Ji Hyun. The latter was the only player to beat the Spaniard in the group stages but found herself one game down in no time at all as Marin took the first game of the Hyderabad Trump match 11-6. However, Hyun came back stronger in the remaining games to win the tie 11-6, 11-5 and hand her team a -1-1 lead.

Mumbai smelled blood and handed unbeaten H S Prannoy the Trump match against Sameer Verma. Prannoy won the first game rather comfortably by a score of 11-8. The second game proved to be a much closer affair with Verma having three game-point opportunities to take the game into a decider. However, Prannoy won three points in quick succession and eventually closed out the match 15-13.

With the second win, the Rockets took and an unassailable lead in the match and will now face the Chennai Smashers in the final in Delhi today.