In a new announcement, all the 2017 Premier Badminton League (PBL) matches that were originally supposed to be held in the city of Chennai, have now been shifted to Bengaluru. The Koramangala Indoor Stadium in the Garden City will thus play host to the Bengaluru leg, besides being the home stadium for the Chennai matches.
The pan-Indian six-franchise league is set to commence on January 1, 2017 at Hyderabad while the final is scheduled on January 14 at New Delhi.
Sindhu vs Marin in opener
The second season of the PBL kicks off with a mouthwatering clash between PV Sindhu’s Chennai Smashers and Carolina Marin’s Hyderabad Hunters. The rematch of the Olympic final between Sindhu and Marin is being billed as the clash of the titans and is eagerly awaited.
Also Read: PBL 2017 Team Profile: Chennai Smashers
After two days of action at Hyderabad, the league moves on to Mumbai (January 3-4), followed by Lucknow (5-6 January), Bengaluru (7-11 January), Delhi (12-14 January).
The earlier schedule had the Chennai leg matches from January 10-11.
Saina vs Sindhu on January 11
Another match that is a must-watch for Indian badminton lovers is the marquee face-off between the country’s top two shuttle queens Saina Nehwal and Sindhu. The two are set to meet on January 11 at Bengaluru when Nehwal’s Awadhe Warriors and Sindhu’s Chennai Smashes lock horns with each other.
Also Read: PBL 2017 Team Profile: Awadhe Warriors
The two have met just once in international competition with Saina winning that encounter. It will be interesting to see how the Rio Olympic silver medallist Sindhu responds this time after all the improvements she has made in 2016.
Here is the revised schedule of the PBL-2:
Jan 1: (Hyderabad)—Hyderabad Hunters v/s Chennai SmashersJan 1: (Hyderabad)—Bengaluru Blasters v/s Delhi AcersJan 2: (Hyderabad)—Awadhe Warriors v/s Hyderabad HuntersJan 3: (Mumbai)—Bengaluru Blasters v/s Chennai SmashersJan 3: (Mumbai) — Delhi Acers v/s Mumbai RocketsJan 4: (Mumbai) — Hyderabad Hunters v/s Mumbai RocketsJan 5: (Lucknow) — Awadhe Warriors v/s Delhi AcersJan 6: (Lucknow) — Awadhe Warriors v/s Mumbai RocketsJan 7: (Bangalore) —Bengaluru Blasters v/s Hyderabad HuntersJan 8: (Bangalore) — Delhi Acers v/s Chennai SmashersJan 8: (Bangalore) —Bengaluru Blasters v/s Mumbai RocketsJan 9: (Bangalore) — Awadhe Warriors v/s Bengaluru BlastersJan 10: (Bangalore) — Mumbai Rockets v/s Chennai SmashersJan 11: (Bangalore) — Awadhe Warriors v/s Chennai SmashersJan 12: (Delhi) — Delhi Acers v/s Hyderabad HuntersJan 13: (Delhi) —First semi-finalJan 13: (Delhi) —Second semi-finalJan 14: (Delhi) —Final
