Match Report – Hyderabad Hotshots Vs. Mumbai Masters

Hyderabad Hotshots win 3-2 over Mumbai Masters on the first day of Vodafone IBL at Pune

S Tanongsak wins Vodafone Player of the Tie

Pune, August 22, 2013: Hyderabad Hotshots won the first leg of Vodafone IBL here at Pune today with a team score of 3-2 against Mumbai Masters. At one point, Hyderabad Hotshots seemed to be hijacking the Tie with women’s single, Men’s single and Men’s double in their favour after an initial loss of Ajay Jayaram to Lee Chong Wei. But the smashing hits of Vladimir Ivanov and N Sikki Reddy ensured that the win was restricted to 3.

Elated at her team winning the Tie, Saina Nehwal said,”Today has been a very lucky day for our team. We did really well and gave our best. Ajay also put a very good fight and tried to pull through but lets not forget that he was playing against Lee Chong Wei.”

“I love the crowd here at Pune. It is among the most enthusiastic fan group I have seen. I am happy that Badminton is growing in popularity and IBL has been instrumental in really increasing the interest levels,” she added.

On being asked about her favorite team, Saina quipped, “Ofcourse Hyderabad! It is the best and my favorite team.”

Earlier, N Sikki Reddy was elated at winning the mixed doubles and gave lot of credit to her partner Vladimir Ivanov. She said, “We played really well. Vladimir kept encouraging me and allowed me to play the shots I was best at. This boost my confidence and we were able to win the match.”

Post his win Lee Chong said,” Initially the wind was very high and I decided to start slow. It took me some time to adjust but the warm up gave good result. I am happy with the win. We are one up already.”

Post her easy win Saina Nehwal said, ”It feels so good to win all the matches I have played so far. I came here for the World Championship last time and got the same support from Pune. I am glad to once again make my fans in Pune happy.”

Shem V Goh and Khim Lim Wah said, “Both Reddy and Attri played very well which put us under pressure from the beginning. But the cheers of crowd for our team brought us back in game. There was no way we could let them down.”

Speaking on his win S Tanongsak said, “I really enjoyed playing. Marc was good competition for me but my confidence levels were very high from the beginning and it reflected in my winning shots.”

The match tally was as follows:

Points Table

The $1-million Vodafone Indian Badminton League started on August 14, 2013, with some high-voltage action. The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises and will run for 18 days. Each franchise will host a two-day leg and the League will showcase a grand total of 90 matches, providing broadcasters and in-stadia spectators with more than 100 hours of LIVE “family entertainment” which will also be viewed by a significant international audience. The matches will be held during late afternoon and evening to coincide with prime time television and providing a convenient time for the stadium audience.

The top four franchises in the Vodafone IBL will clash in the semi-finals and the winners will meet in the grand final on August 31, which will be played in Mumbai, for the richest prize money tournament in badminton till now.

About BAI:

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) is the governing body for badminton in India. BAI is an association registered under the Societies Act and affiliated to the Badminton World Federation, BAC and the IOA. BAI was formed in 1934 and has been holding national-level tournaments in India since 1936. BAI conducts international tournaments in India like the India Open Superseries, Syed Modi India Grand Prix, national championships, selects team and conducts camps for Olympic Games, World Championship, looks after training of technical officials, and takes path-breaking initiatives like Indian Badminton League to promote the sport.

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