Hyd Hunters raring to go
Hyderabad Hunters, which is set to debut in the Premier Badminton League (PBL) that begins in Mumbai on January 2, go into the tournament with a major morale-booster.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Hunters, which is set to debut in the Premier Badminton League (PBL) that begins in Mumbai on January 2, go into the tournament with a major morale-booster.Its trump card, Parupally Kashyap, is fighting fit and raring to go as a dress-rehearsal for his Rio preparations.
Positively exuberant and oozing with confidence, the franchise co-owner Dr VRK Rao, CMD of Agile Group, told newsmen here on Thursday that they would go all out to ensure that like Hyderabad Hotshots, the championship comes home, this time around too.
Speaking about the composition of the team, Dr Rao said, “We are embarking on a journey with full vigour and confidence. We are a balanced combination of young and experience, which can work wonders on D-day. We are the only team in the fray that boasts of the maximum number of Indian players.”
There are seven Indians and four overseas players. The Indians comprise of Jwala Gutta, ASS Siril Verma, K Nandagopal, Satwik Sai Raj, Meghana Jakkampudi, Ch Uttejitha Rao apart from Kashyap while the foreign flavour comes from Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia), Markis Kido, (Indonesia), Carsten Mogensen (Denmark) and Supanida Katethong (Thailand).
Kashyap stated that although he had represented Bangalore in IBL, he was happy to be back home and it would mean a lot.
“I am looking forward to the tournament, which features many exciting matches. I am happy that my injuries are done and over with. I am getting back in shape and have already commenced full-fledged training,” said the winner of Indian Open Grand Prix Gold.
Although he refused to pin-point any one close that he is likely to run into during PBL, he said he was up against formidable challenges and would love to take on his talented bunch of compatriots like Kidambi Srikanth and HS Pranoy.
To a question, he said that India had its finest bunch of talents in the men draw, who could all hope to perform in Rio, adding that as far as he was concerned it was time to move on as London Olympics was far-away from his mind.
The Commonwealth title winner hailed the presence of proven overseas teammates, particularly Lee Chong Wei, who has been ‘a good friend on the circuit’.
Coach Rajender Kumar said "International players will directly join the team in Mumbai".
Hyderabad Hunters will play its first home match against Awadh Warriors on January 9 and next meet Chennai Smashers. They wind up the home stretch with a showdown against Mumbai Rockets on January 11. Hyderabad will be also hosting second semifinal on January 15 while the final will be held in New Delhi on January 17.
Our Bureau
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