SEMI-FINAL 1: Chennai Smashers to prevail over Delhi Acers to enter the finals first

CHENNAI SMASHERS AND DELHI ACERS clash in the first semi-final of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) today at the Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru. 

Both the teams thrashed their opponents to claim the spot in the knockout stages. Chennai has a narrow psychological advantage going into the semis as in the league stage, they had prevailed over the Acers 4-3.

Both the teams have had their highs and lows in certain categories. The women's singles category is what looks weak in Delhi. Though Thulasi won her first match against Mumbai, it will not be easy for her to triumph over Indian star PV Sindhu. The men's doubles pair of Kien/Heong for Delhi began the league on a losing note, but after their home matches they have looked strong. Chopra/Chris of Chennai were a good pairing for the Smashers but in the last two matches they've had no success.

RULES: Each tie comprises of 5 matches -- Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Singles, Mixed Doubles & Men’s Singles.  Each Match will be played as best-of-three games, with each game being a race to 15 points and a sudden death at 14-14. After each team shares the list of players who will be playing the 5 matches and their choice of Trump match, the order of play will be mutually decided by the technical team of PBL & broadcaster Star India before each tie (from a neutral perspective) to keep the schedule unpredictable.

TRUMP MATCH: Each team strategically selects one of the 5 matches that they play in a Tie as their Trump match. In a Trump match, a victory gives the team a bonus point and a loss gives it a negative point. A team cannot put the same player in the Trump matches proposed by them more than twice in the league stage and once in the knockout stage i.e. if team A places 5 trump matches during the league stage, any player can take part in maximum two of those 5 matches. However, the participation of a player in a Trump match proposed by the opponent will not be counted in this maximum 2 criterion.

For scoring in a Trump match, victory in a normal match gives 1 point, loss carries 0 points. In a Trump match, the team that has called for the Trump gets 2 points for victory and -1 for a loss. However, the other team will play this match as a normal match and will either get 1 or 0 points for win or loss respectively. If both the teams place the Trump on the same match, then for both of them +2 or -1 scoring will apply for win or loss respectively.

TFG analyses and predicts the winner of the match based on a possible line-up of players, as the teams have to announce their team and Trump match only an hour before the game.

CHENNAI SMASHERS vs DELHI ACERS

The following shuttlers are likely to play against each other in their respective categories; Men's singles: Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Chennai) against Ajay Jayaram; Men's doubles: Chopra/Chris (Chennai) against Kien/Heong (Delhi); Women's singles: PV Sindhu (Chennai) against Thulasi (Delhi); Men's singles: Simon Santoso (Chennai) against Tommy Sugiarto (Delhi); Mixed doubles: Chris/Pia (Chennai) against Akshay/Gabrielle (Delhi).

It remains to be seen which matches each team will nominate as their Trump match. As the Trump can be used only once by a player in the knockouts, the teams will have to use it smartly. Delhi are the only team that haven't lost a single Trump match in the league stage and going into the semi-final they will want to continue the same.

Kuncoro and Ajay have a head-to-head count levelled at 1-1 on the international stage. They did not play against each other in the league stage. Both the shuttlers have played two matches; Ajay won both while Kuncoro has lost one out of the two. Ajay would be with fresh legs and raring to go out on the court to earn points for his team. In the match against Bengaluru, Kuncoro had to pull a stunner in order to win over the young Sameer as the Top Guns' shuttler put the experienced opponent under test. We see the amtch going the full distance with Ajay winning.

The Acers will be choosing their men's doubles match as the Trump. In Delhi, Kien/Heong did not disappoint as they won both the matches and they were Trumps. Considering the fact that Chris/Chopra have lost their last two matches while Delhi have been strong in this category, the Acers are likely to win this match.

PV Sindhu should have yet another easy outing against Thulasi and continue her unbeaten record. As mentioned above, Thulasi won her first match against Ruthvika who is a junior player, but it is unlikely that she could repeat the same against a top shuttler like Sindhu. In this category, the Smashers will score full points.

It will be the first time that Santoso and Tommy will play each other in this league. At the international stage, Santoso holds a lead of 3-0. Tommy has been in great form in the league, winning all his matches and has proven to be the star for his team. But this is where he will be put to test, as Santoso will not be easy to beat.

Chennai will look to nominate their mixed doubles pair as the Trump match. Chris/Pia have been in great touch, and they also triumphed over Ponnappa/Fischerx, who are a strong pair, last night. The Smashers' duo have shown their worth and the potential to give their best and win points for their team at crucial times. Therefore they are likely to win this match over Akshay/Gabrielle, to round off a close 4-3 win to take the Chennai Smashers into the finals.