#4 Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (Chennai Smashers)
Last year’s MVP Tommy Sugiarto might have switched to the Chennai Smashers from the Delhi Acers this time, but the Smashers men’s singles player who will be the one to watch out for is not Sugiarto, it is Thailand’s Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk. He is the highest ranked player in that section and is currently placed at 11th, ahead of both Sugiarto and India’s Parupalli Kashyap.
What makes him so dangerous is the fact that he is coming to PBL2 with a rich vein of form. He won his maiden Grand Prix title at the Thailand Open in October, winning all but one of his matches in straight games. The southpaw then took it a notch higher by creating history at the Denmark Open Superseries Premier the same month.
The 26-year-old became the first Thai to win a men’s singles title at the Superseries Premier level when he upset the sixth seed Son Wan Ho in the final. With the biggest title of his career under his belt, Saensomboonsuk has all the momentum needed for a strong show.