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Both the Hyderabad Hunters and the Bengaluru Blasters have sealed their semi-final spots at the Premier Badminton League (PBL) 2018, but their clash at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday is vital as it will determine at which position they get to finish in the eight-team table.
This is the last of the league matches at the PBL 2018 before the knock-out rounds commence tomorrow. Both the teams will thus be upbeat to give it their all before they have to battle it out for a place in the final.
Both of them are led by superstars, who will look to guide them to a win. While the Blasters have the current world champion and World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen in their squad, the Hunters' challenge will be spearheaded by the former World No. 1 and two-time world champion Carolina Marin.
Currently, the Bengaluru team is at the second position and looks the stronger of the two. The Hunters are now in fourth place and trail the Blasters by just one point.
However, the Hyderabad team had their best performance of the season in their very last outing when they absolutely demolished the Awadhe Warriors 6-(-1). The Blasters, on the other hand, are on a two-match losing streak and haven't managed to put in all-round show.
A lot will depend on the respective doubles pairs of the two teams. N Sikki Reddy and Kim Sa Rang against Pia Zebadiah and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy will be an enthralling battle in mixed doubles and so will the clash be between the men's doubles pairs of Mathias Boe-Kim Sa Rang and Markis Kido-Yoon Yeon Seong.
Here is all the information you need to know
Tournament name: Premier Badminton League Season 3
Venue: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2018
Time: Bengaluru Blasters vs Hyderabad Hunters at 7pm IST
Channel: Star Sports 1/Star Sports 1 HD
Livestream information: Star Sports Hotstar
The squads:
Bengaluru Blasters - Viktor Axelsen, Chong Wei Feng, Subhankar Dey, Kirsty Gilmour, Rituparna Das, Mathias Boe, Manu Attri, Kim Sa Rang, N Sikki Reddy, Sanjana Santosh.
Hyderabad Hunters - B Sai Praneeth, Lee Hyun Il, Rahul Yadav Chittaboina, Carolina Marin, Rasika Raje, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Yoo Yeon-Seong, Markis Kido, Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth, Anoushka Parikh.
