Lee Chong Wei’s title hopes at the World Badminton Championship earlier this month evaporated in the heat at the stadium in Guangzhou. The world no.1 pulled out midway through the final due to cramps. A faulty air conditioner was blamed for his condition. As Lee’s Mumbai Masters gear up to take on the Awadhe Warriors in the Indian Badminton League rubber at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Saturday, one wonders if Lee will risk flexing his wrists on court. Not that he is afraid of the competition. Lee’s battle will be more against the weather. The Kanteerava Stadium isn’t air-conditioned and the players will have to brave the heat — in more ways than one. Another problem players could face is sighting the shuttle. The stadium isn’t a badminton venue and the courts are inadequately lit. Also, they could shine right into eyes of the players. The problem of poor venues has plagued the tournament so far and it won’t be different in the city. On the competition front, buoyed by their first win of the League over Krrish Delhi Smashers in Pune on Thursday, the Warriors from Lucknow, spearheaded by teen sensation P.V. Sindhu will look to keep the winning momentum against Lee’s brigade who have two wins and equal number of losses in their outings so far. While Sindhu’s form is a matter of concern for the Warriors, the Mumbai outfit too have their share of woes, as they come into the contest after a defeat to Hyderabad Hotshots. Mumbai who boast of an impressive foreign line-up will bank on the likes of Marc Zwiebler and Tine Baun to come good. But given the format and conditions, the Warriors who have Malaysian Weng Fei Chong, emerging youngster K. Srikanth and R.M.V. Gurusaidutt in their line-up can be tricky customers.
Pune Pistons take early lead Pune Pistons’ Anup Sridhar and Juliane Schenk ensured an early 2-0 lead over Banga Beats in their clash in Pune on Friday night. Sridhar quelled a strong challenge from Hu Yun in the men’s singles, registering a 21-12, 21-18 win, while German Schenk defeated Carolina Marin of Spain 21-20, 21-10 in the women’s singles encounter. On Thursday, Awadhe Warriors posted their first win of the tournament, beating Krrish Delhi Smashers 4-1.
