IBL Season 1: How did the icon players fare?

Awadhe Warriors: P.V. Sindhu

Record : Played : 7, Won : 4, Lost : 3

P.V. Sindhu did played well and led her team to the final. Though she lost both matches to Saina, she did beat some key international stars (Getty Images)

The stage was set for Sindhu; the IBL was a league which was seen as a stepping stone for promising youngsters to showcase their talent to the world. This was her chance to announce herself to the world and prove that the bronze medal was no fluke. I think it would be fair to say that she passed the test with flying colours.

Despite all the hype for her clashes with Saina and the subsequent defeats that came with it, Sindhu should know that its definitely not shameful to lose to the World No.4. Losses to Saina aside, Sindhu had a good tournament as she held her nerve to defeat Juliane Schenk in an extremely close encounter and Tine Baun easily in the semi-finals.

Sindhu proved that she has the mettle to pull off wins against the best of players on the international circuit in the IBL. The defeats to Saina proved that she still has a lot left to learn and needs to develop the ability to dictate the game better, something which Saina has in abundance. Sindhu was an intergral part of a team which wasn’t expected to come out on top in the IBL initially, but grew in strength through the tournament. Despite being the youngest of the icon players, it would be fair to say that she easily out-performed some of her senior compatriots through her contribution to the team.