PBL 2018: 3 epic clashes to look forward to in the Mumbai leg

#2 Sameer Verma (Mumbai Rockets) vs Tommy Sugiarto (Delhi Dashers)

After the kind of solid performance that India’s Sameer Verma put up at the BWF World Tour Finals in his maiden appearance, it would perhaps not be wise to expect him to be troubled by Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto. Sameer made short work of the Indonesian veteran in a group clash on his way to a semi-final finish at this prestigious season-ender.

It helped the 24-year-old break away from the 1-1 tie that he had with the 30-year-old Sugiarto in their head-to-head record and inch ahead to 2-1. It was also instrumental in pushing the Dhar-born Verma to his career-high ranking of No. 12.

While Sameer had a confidence-boosting finish to the season, one can’t simply count out Sugiarto, who has formerly been ranked as high as No. 3. Currently placed at No. 9 in the world rankings, he not only boasts of a vast experience in the international circuit but even in the PBL as well.

Sugiarto was the ‘Male Most Valuable Player’ in the inaugural season of the PBL when he guided the Delhi Acers to title glory. He is certainly well-versed in the pressure of playing in this format and knows what it takes to get those quick points.

No matter how confident Sameer is now, his track record in PBL does indeed pale in comparison to the Indonesian and he can’t afford to have any lapse if he aims to continue his terrific form.

About the author

Sudeshna is a veteran Indian Sports and International Tennis journalist as well as editor at Sportskeeda. She has an overall experience of over 10 years with top publications like The Bridge, Fox Sports Asia, and gained a keen interest in Indian sports since the 2002 Commonwealth and Asian Games when she was in school.

Sudeshna holds a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She attends tournaments regularly and being a highly experienced journalist, she ensures she only contacts the correct people from her network for the most authentic information to be put in her articles.

Sudeshna’s favorite Indian athlete is PV Sindhu owing to her big-tournament performances. She also admires Tennis legend Rafael Nadal for his resilience and has witnessed the Spaniard in action at the French Open, due to which, Roland Garros is her all-time favorite Grand Slam tournament.

Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics made a lasting impact on Sudeshna. She has also interviewed him along with Badminton star Chirag Shetty and several other sports personalities. She has done on-ground reporting on multiple ITF tournaments along with the Premier Badminton League, Asian Boxing Championships and the Davis Cup.

When not using her skills and years of experience in crafting compelling content, Sudeshna likes to read, watch movies and travel.

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Edited by Sripad