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The Premier Badminton League(PBL) is almost upon us and it promises to be an exciting two weeks for several badminton fans with some of the biggest names in the sport coming to India. Along with the established names, the competition provides an opportunity for some of the youngsters to showcase their abilities in front of millions and stake a claim to be the next big star in Indian badminton. Here are 5 youngsters to watch out for in the 2016 PBL.
#5 Krishna Priya Kudaravalli
The hopes of the Chennai Smashers in the Women’s Singles will no doubt be pinned on P.V. Sindhu, but the team also another prodigy in that category in the form of Krishna Priya Kudravalli.
The 17-year-old has been putting in good performances in the junior circuit and won the World Mixed Team Championships in July, prior to which she finished as a runner-up at the Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial India Junior International Badminton Championships, losing Ruthvika Gadde in the final.
With PBL rules allowing a particular player just two opportunities to compete in a Trump Match, there could be a situation where Krishna Priya may have to play the particular match and it would be interesting to see how she reacts when the spotlight will be on her.
#4 Vrushali Gummadi
While Saina Nehwal will certainly be the bigger crowd puller, in 18-year-old Vrushali Gummadi the Awadhe Warriors definitely have a future star in the making. Currently ranked 479th in the world, Gummadi put in some notable performances in 2015, finishing runners-up at the Asia Junior Championships and the Lagos International events before winning the India Junior Badminton Championships in September last year.
The PBL provides Gummadi with a terrific opportunity to showcase her potential and learn from Saina, some of the finer nuances of the game.
#3 Sameer Verma
He may be only 21-year-old but Sameer Verma has already established himself as one of the most promising young talents in the country today. Bursting onto the scene in 2011, at the Asian Junior Badminton Championships, where he won a silver medal, the Madhya Pradesh-born player has steadily been rising up the charts over the course of the last 4 years.
2015 proved to be an impressive year for him as he entered the finals of the Sri Lanka challenge in August before registering victories at the Bahrain International Series, the Bahrain International challenge and the Bangladesh international Series before rounding off the year by winning the Tata Open International Challenge where he beat his brother Sourabh in the final.
Sameer will play for the Bengaluru Top Guns in the PBL and many a supporter will keep a close watch on him during the course of the next 2 weeks.
#2 Ruthvika Gadde
Another product of the Gopichand academy, Ruthvika Gadde is certainly a player to watch out for in the coming years. The 18-year-old who clinched the Senior National Championships and the Tata Open title in won the Bangladesh Open International Challenge in 2015 and the Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial India Junior International Badminton Championships to provide further evidence of her talent.
Gadde is currently ranked 130th in the world and in an interview last year revealed that her goal was to clinch a Grand Prix Gold. Well, the first step on her road to achieving that goal in 2016 is the PBL and she would be hoping to gain invaluable experience during the two-week competition.
Representing the Mumbai Rockets, Gadde will have a great chance to get into the groove ahead of a busy schedule and also have the opportunity to learn from someone like a Li Han of China and further add some tricks to her game before the international season begins.
#1 Siril Verma
All of 16-years-old but already creating ripples in the badminton scene, Siril Verma will have a fantastic opportunity over the course of the next 2 weeks to impress everybody who would glued on to the PBL.
A product of the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, Siril became the sixth Indian to win a medal at the World Junior Championships in Mexico in November last year, clinching the silver in a tight contest against Chia-Hung Lu of Chinese Taipei.
The youngster will play for the Hyderabad Hunters in the PBL and should look to make most of the chance to showcase his talent on the world stage.
