'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
With the Vodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL) 2018 kicking off on 22nd December, 2018 - the top badminton league around the world is back to celebrate its 4th edition. The addition of Pune 7 Aces has made it a nine team league, which would be played over the course of 20 days.
The current format suggests for each team to play six ties in the league stage wherein each TIE consists of five matches and each match shall be a best of three.
The finalists of last year, Bengaluru Raptors will be looking to change from runners up to the champions in the PBL 2018. They will be led by top Indian male shuttler Kidambi Srikanth. Apart from him, the team will have B. Sai Praneeth, Mithun Manjunath and Nguyễn Tiến Minh for men’s singles. Vũ Thị Trang will be a women’s singles competitor.
The Raptors have a strong doubles team where England’s Marcus Ellis and Marcus Ellis could be seen competing in the mixed doubles event. The Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan will be one of the toughest to crack for the opponents in men’s doubles. The duo is known to be one of the best pair for doubles in Badminton.
Here is the full schedule for the Raptors:
Match #1
Date: 28th December 2018
Opponent: Ahmedabad Smash Masters
Venue: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad
Timing (IST) : 16:00
Match #2
Date: 30th December 2018
Opponent: Pune 7 Aces
Venue: Shree Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex, Pune
Timing (IST) : 19:00
Match #3
Date: 2nd January 2019
Opponent: Delhi Dashers
Venue: The Arena by SE TransStadia, Ahmedabad
Timing (IST) : 19:00
Match #4
Date: 5th January 2019
Opponent: North Eastern Warriors
Venue: The Arena by SE TransStadia, Ahmedabad
Timing (IST) : 19:00
Match #5
Date: 8th January 2019
Opponent: Mumbai Rockets
Venue: Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru
Timing (IST) : 19:00
Match #6
Date: 10th January 2019
Opponent: Chennai Smashers
Venue: Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bengaluru
Timing (IST) : 19:00
(With inputs from Nikunj Pherwani)
Follow Sportskeeda to get the latest news and updates from Premier Badminton League 2018
