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The last day of league action in the Tennis Premier League is all set to take off with the Bengaluru SG Mavericks having overtaken Bengal Wizards at the top of the points table with 173 points in their kitty.
Punjab Patriots and the Bengal Wizards are both tied on 164 points, while Delhi Binny's Brigades and defending champions Hyderabad Strikers are on 160 points each. The formidable Gujarat Panthers have slipped to sixth place with Sumit Nagal slumping to defeats in singles and doubles.
The Panthers are on 157 points — one point ahead of the Mumbai Leon Army while Pune Jaguars continue to occupy the last position with 146 points.
With the semifinals and finals slated for Sunday, let's take a look at what lies ahead on Day 5.
Match 1: Hyderabad Strikers vs Delhi Binny’s Brigade, 4:30 PM
Hyderabad Strikers, who inflicted further misery on bottom-placed Jaguars after getting past the Pune franchise 41-39, have a crucial match on hand against Delhi Binny's Brigade on Saturday.
With nothing separating both teams in terms of points, an exciting contest is on the cards with the Strikers' Ellen Perez going head-to-head with Vaidehi Chaudhari of Binny's Brigade.
Dennis Novak of Austria, who beat Sriram Balaji of the Bengal Wizards 12-8 on Friday, will be the key for Binny's Brigade while Niki Poonacha will need to be at his best for the Strikers in the vital game.
Prediction: Expect the Delhi Franchise to come away with a win in their last league game.
Match 2: Pune Jaguars vs Punjab Patriots, 5:55 PM
The Pune Jaguars have yet to register a win in the competition and the prospect of picking up their maiden victory on Saturday appears dim as they are up against Punjab Patriots, who are powered by Conny Perrin.
The Swiss player got past Sowjanya Bavisetti of the Mumbai Leon Army 11-9 and has been impressive throughout the tournament while also combining well with Arjun Kadhe in the mixed doubles. Needless to say, Lukas Rosol will need to lead from the front for the Pune side if they are to have any chance of rising up in the points table.
Prediction: Expect the Punjab Patriots to register a win and advance to the semifinals of the Tennis Premier League.
Match 3: Mumbai Leon Army vs Bengaluru SG Mavericks, 7:20 PM
Sitting pretty on top of the points table, Bengaluru SG Mavericks will be confident of their chances of progressing to the semifinals but will need to contend with Ernests Gulbis, who beat Niki Poonacha of the Hyderabad Strikers 11-9.
Sowjanya Bavisetti of the Leon Army will be up against Mavericks' Arina Rodionova while Gulbis locks horns with Ramkumar Ramanathan, making for an exciting contest.
Prediction: Expect the Bengaluru SG Mavericks to prevail against Mumbai Leon Army
Match 4: Gujarat Panthers vs Bengal Wizards, 8:45 PM
The last and final league match of the fifth season of the Tennis Premier League could also turn out to be the most exciting contest of all with third-placed Bengal Wizards squaring off with a strong Gujarat Panthers side.
The Panthers, currently sixth on the points table, have the likes of Sumit Nagal in their ranks. While Nagal went down to Ramkumar Ramanathan 14-6 on Friday, the India No. 1 is more than capable of bouncing back. Sriram Balaji of the Bengal franchise, on the other hand, has also shown his class in previous outings.
Prediction: Expect a desperate Gujarat Panthers to emerge victorious in what promises to be a nerve-wracking Tennis Premier League game against Leander Paes' Bengal Wizards.
Tennis Premier League - Where to Watch?
The Tennis Premier League 2023 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network. The Sony Sports Ten 2 channel will telecast the matches, while Sony LIV and the YouTube channel of the Tennis Premier League will live stream all the games.
