PBL 2018-19: Bengaluru Raptors vs Awadhe Warriors Today Match Preview, Where to Watch & Head to Head Record

After finishing their league matches on a high with a win, the Bengaluru Raptors have a tough challenge in the first semi-final of the Premier Badminton League (PBL 2018-19) to be held in Bengaluru on Friday as they meet the table toppers Awadhe Warriors. Kidambi Srikanth, the icon and skipper of the Raptors, has been their talisman, winning all his six matches so far.

He very much needs to click against Son Wan Ho of the Awadhe Warriors. The Indian did beat the former World No. 1 twice during his scintillating 2017 season during which he won as many as four Superseries titles.

Sai Praneeth has been in good form in the last few matches. Brimming with a lot of confidence, he snapped the winning streak of Sameer Verma when the two faced off. The home team would look up to him to deliver them the win against Lee Dong Keun in the semi-finals.

The Warriors will have a huge edge in the women’s singles. World No. 10 Beiwen Zhang has the advantage in ranking over the 59th ranked Vu Thi Trang. Besides, she even accounted for the likes of PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal this season. On paper, the American is the overwhelming favourite.

Former world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan would look to bounce back from a surprise defeat in the men’s doubles and give the Raptors a crucial win. In the mixed doubles, however, the Raptors can’t harbour much hope. Their Commonwealth Games silver-medal winning pair of Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith have remained winless and against a well-gelled combination like Ashwini Ponnappa and Mathias Christiansen, the task would be even more uphill.

Here’s all the information you need to know about the PBL encounter:

Tournament name: Premier Badminton League Season 4

Venue: Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: Friday, January 11, 2019

Time: 7 pm IST

Head-to-head: Awadhe lead 2-0

Channel: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD

Live streaming: hotstar.com