Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Maharashtra secure top honors at the 76th Inter-State-Inter-Zonal Badminton Championships 2023

The RG Baurah Sports Complex in Guwahati played host to the prestigious 76th Inter-State-Inter-Zonal Badminton Championships 2023. The tournament witnessed some thrilling matches across its two days of action (December 17–18).

Maharashtra emerged as champions in the women’s team event after defeating the Airport Authority of India (AAI) team. Airport Authority of India (AAI), meanwhile, took the top honors in the men’s team event after comfortably securing a win against Karnataka.

AAI triumph in men's team event

The men's team championship winners, Airport Authority of India started their campaign strongly by defeating Delhi 3-0 in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, they faced the Railways men's team and secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory over them. This set the stage for an intense final against the winners of the recently concluded national games, Karnataka.

In the finals, Tharun M of AAI played the opening match against Bhargav S., clinching a 21-18, 21-18 victory and providing AAI with a 1-0 lead.

The second match witnessed Maisnam Meiraba of AAI take on Karnataka's Raghu M. The three-game thriller saw the two shuttlers engage in long rallies throughout the match.

Despite a tough fight from Raghu, Meiraba ultimately emerged victorious with a 22-20, 16-21, 21-11 scoreline, helping AAI take a 2-0 lead in the final.

The third match, featuring Alap Mishra and Ravikumar RS from AAI against Prakash Raj S and Ashith Surya from Karnataka, saw the duo from AAI comfortably seal a 21-11, 16-21, 21-19 victory. This win saw AAI win the title with a 3-0 victory against Karnataka.

Maharashtra fight their way to women's team title

The women's team championship witnessed National Games silver medalists Maharashtra starting their campaign with a dominating performance in the quarterfinals. They overcame Andhra Pradesh, securing a 2-0 victory.

However, the semifinals against Punjab proved to be a challenge. After losing the first match, Punjab fought back, winning the next two and taking a 2-1 lead.

However, Maharashtra’s Purva Barve and the duo of Ritika and Akshaya turned things around for their team, winning their respective matches and clinching the tie 3-2. They, thus, secured a spot in the final.

In the final, Maharashtra’s Shruti Mundada set the tone with a nail-biting three-set battle against Tanya Hemanth of AAI, ultimately winning 23-21, 23-25, 21-18. The second match saw Aalisha Naik facing off against AAI’s Mansi Singh.

Like the first match of the tie, this match went the distance too, with Naik emerging victorious with a 21-18, 12-21, 21-19 scoreline, giving Maharashtra a 2-0 lead.

The third match featured one of India’s top women’s doubles pairs, Simran Singhi and Ritika Thaker, representing Maharashtra against Tanya Hemanth and Priya Devi Konjengbam.

The match ended with Singhi and Thaker securing a comfortable 21-14, 21-18 victory, sealing the championship for Maharashtra.

As the 76th Inter State-Inter Zonal Badminton Championships 2023 come to a close, attention now turns to the upcoming 85th Senior National Badminton Championships 2023. It starts on December 20. The championships will feature India’s top shuttlers battling it out for the prestigious national title.