PBL 2018: Saina Nehwal vs PV Sindhu match preview, schedule and live telecast information

The much-awaited third season of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) could not have asked for a better start with a blockbuster Saina Nehwal vs PV Sindhu clash featuring on the first day at the Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi AC Indoor Stadium in Guwahati. The match will be a part of the high-voltage Awadhe Warriors vs Chennai Smashers contest as the pan-Indian league makes its debut in the north-east.

The two ladies have played a major role in making badminton the fastest growing sport in India. Any encounter between them thus makes badminton aficionados wait with bated breath.

On the international front, Sindhu and Saina are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head record, with the younger Indian winning their last meeting at the India Open. Sindhu also got the better of her senior compatriot in the last edition of the PBL.

However, Nehwal turned the tables in a scintillating two-game final at the Senior National Championships, which definitely helped boost Saina’s confidence. The former World No. 1 will surely take the positives from that win and try to replicate that result.

She relentlessly went for the Sindhu backhand, breaking it down time and again, simultaneously showing some exceptional footwork on the court.

However, it must be mentioned that the 22-year-old Sindhu seems to have got back her focus as evidenced by her runner-up finish at both the Hong Kong Open and the World Superseries Finals in Dubai. Sindhu is moving better, thinking better and most importantly, looks thoroughly re-invigorated, showing flashes of the form that took her to the World Championships silver medal.

The two Pullela Gopichand wards will have to be ready right from the start, for the PBL format is different from international competitions. They will have to battle it out in 15-point games, instead of the usual 21-point games. In case of a 14-14 tie, a sudden death will take place, which makes the PBL far more intense and exciting.

The evening will have four other matches -- two men’s singles, one men’s doubles and one mixed doubles. The Awadhe Warriors look the strongest PBL team on paper this season. Even though, the defending champions Chennai Smashers are no slouch, they will have to step up to the challenge.

Srikanth Kidambi too will be in action

Srikanth Kidambi, who had a career-best 2017 season, will be in action as well and so will be the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Parupalli Kashyap. The two represent the Lucknow franchise.

The Smashers, on the other hand, will field the 17th ranked Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk and the 24th ranked Brice Leverdez to try and shake up the Awadhe men’s singles department.

The Warriors squad is overflowing with talent even in the doubles section. They have two of the all-time greats in Hendra Setiawan and Christinna Pedersen, while the Smashers will be banking on their World No. 5 mixed doubles combine of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock to deliver them the win.

Here is all the information you need to know:

Tournament name: Premier Badminton League Season 3

Venue: Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi A.C. Indoor Stadium,Guwahati

Date: Saturday, December 23, 2017

Time:

Awadhe Warriors vs Chennai Smashers at 7pm IST

Channel: Star Sports 1/Star Sports 1 HD

Livestream information: Star Sports Hotstar

The squads:

Awadhe Warriors - Srikanth Kidambi, Parupalli Kashyap, Harshit Aggarwal, Saina Nehwal, Sai Uttejitha Rao Chukka, Hendra Setiawan, Or Chin Chung, Tang Chun Man, Christinna Pedersen, Mahima Aggarwal.

Chennai Smashers -Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, Brice Leverdez, Aditya Joshi, Daniel Farid, PV Sindhu, Vrushali Gummadi, Yang Lee, B Sumeeth Reddy, Chris Adcock, Gabrielle Adcock.