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After the (-1) -6 defeat to defending champions Hyderabad Hunters, Premier Badminton League (PBL) debutants Pune 7 Aces will be gunning to open their account. They face Awadhe Warriors in their quest for their first win of the new season in the last match of the Mumbai leg on Monday.
The Pune franchise will be looking up to their captain and talisman Carolina Marin to show them the way. The three-time world champion did not have a good start to her stint with the Pune 7 Aces as she lost her opening match to the Hunters' PV Sindhu, who played her first match since winning the BWF World Tour Finals title.
But Marin has been a PBL veteran and knows what it takes to get a win. She's been a part of this pan-Indian competition for all the past three seasons and even led the Hyderabad Hunters to the title in the most recent edition.
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She does have a tricky encounter against the Awadhe Warriors' World No. 10 Beiwen Zhang with whom she is tied 2-2 in the head-to-head meetings but her determination should help her pull through this PBL encounter.
However, even if the Spanish superstar plays her best game and wins, it still doesn't keep her team out of trouble. The Warriors have acquired the services of the in-form Son Wan Ho in men's singles. The former World No. 1 has come to this tournament on the back of a title win at the Hong Kong Open and the Korea Masters and even reached the semi-finals of the BWF World Tour Finals. Pune's Brice Leverdez is expected to have a tough time against him.
The Awadhe Warriors also have India's marquee doubles exponent Ashwini Ponnappa. The former World Championships bronze medallist will look to make life difficult for the Pune franchise when she teams up with World No. 8 Mathias Christiansen.
Pune's Chirag Shetty and Mathias Boe will have to be at their imperious best to keep their team in contention in this tie.
Here’s all the information you need to know about the PBL:
Tournament name: Premier Badminton League Season 4
Venue: The National Sports Club of India, Mumbai
Date: Monday, December 24, 2018
Time: 7 pm IST
Head-to-head: First meeting
Channel: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD
Live streaming: hotstar.com
Live Updates: On Sportskeeda
