TEAM PREVIEW: Sindhu to lead a well- structured Chennai Smashers squad
CHENNAI SMASHERS will look to better their Premier Badminton League campaign when they get started in the new season that kicks off from 1st January 2017.
The star attraction they had in the previous season was PV Sindhu and she has been retained. 2016 has been the best year for the 21-year-old’s career and she will look forward to helping her team win the title.
There are a few changes to the side, adding the mixed doubles specialists Gabrielle Adcock and retained her better half Chris.
They have also added three strong singles shuttlers to the men's singles category. Along with Indian Parupalli Kashyap, Tanongsak from Thailand and Indonesian Tommy Sugiarto will also play their trade at the Chennai team.
In the men's doubles category they have Mads Pieler Kolding and Sumeeth Reddy. The other two shuttlers in the team are Ramya Tulasi and Arundhati Pantawane.
These additions to the team make them a balanced side in terms of singles and doubles category. They have strength in both the departments. They also have a new coach on board and for the first time he'll be seen in this role, Arun Vishnu.
After the end of the auction, he took to Twitter and announced the news. His coaching skills will be put to test.
I will be working as a coach for team @ChennaiSmashers at Premier Badminton League 2017 @PBLIndiaLive#BaddiesAreBack
— Arun Vishnu (@srarunvishnu) November 9, 2016
The format has been changed, each game will be of 11 points. This makes it more challenging and exciting at the same time.
There's no need to state what Sindhu is capable of doing, when she's on the court she has always proved herself. From clinching the Olympics Silver to her first Superseries Premier title in China and her semi-final finish at the Dubai Superseries Final, we already have a tough opponent for the other teams to look out for.
The fans in Chennai will also be happy to see Chris Adcock coming back as he was at his best last season. He along with Pranaav created havoc and they were a nightmare for many other doubles shuttlers. But this time he is likely to pair up with his wife Gabrielle and play the mixed doubles for which they are known for. The pair understands each other and having a great outing in 2016, ending it on a high at the Dubai SSF, finished as runners-up. They will be high on confidence and will be ready to entertain the fans in India.
The trio of Kashyap, Tommy and Tanongsak makes it a great combination to look out for in the men's singles category. These three do make Arun's life a little easy by allowing him to keep the options open.
Kashyap is coming out of an injury and his recent tournament (Korea GPG) where he ended with the Bronze will definitely keep him going. Tommy on the other hand, is a veteran and was loved by the fans last season while playing for Delhi Acers. The same will be expected out of him this season. Tanongsak is the young talent from Thailand who is a silent assassin, might not be an outright threat but definitely has the power to bring in surprises. He also holds the record of having great win advantage against Indian shuttlers.
The three likely categories that will prove best for Chennai are as follows: Women's singles- Sindhu; Men's singles- Tanongsak (because he is an upcoming star) & Tommy (because of his experience); Mixed doubles: Chris/Gabrielle Adcock.
Looking at the strengths this team has, it makes them a strong title contender for this season.
Check out the star foreign shuttlers, Indian and juniors.
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