Junior on the rise!

His name will be remembered from here on, it will be the talk of the town and his growth will be given the much needed attention. Satwiksai Raj who left everyone mesmerized with his stunning smashes and shots gave us some amazing insight into how the future of doubles in India looks like and it is shining bright indeed.

He featured in all the mixed doubles contest for his team Hyderabad Hunters though they could have used the services of experienced shuttlers in Tan Boon and Tan Wee. But the faith put in the youngster by the team really showed results in the Hunters favour.

His partnership with Chau Hoi Wah was extremely applauded throughout the league. The biggest upset of the tournament includes, Lee Yong Dae/Zieba of Mumbai Rockets being punished for their mistakes as they went down against Satwik/Chau. Particularly after this match, he was taken seriously. In all the matches, Satwik/Chau gave their opponents a run for their money.

That was not all, they backed it up by defeating Vladimir Ivanov/Jwala Gutta of Delhi Acers. They were the underdogs and outshined their opponents on various occasions, earning some crucial points for their team.

There was an unusual sight as Satwik was paired up with Carolina Marin for the mixed doubles contest. They were on the losing side but for the young lad, it was a momentous occasion, playing with the Olympic Gold medallist. He was in one of the best teams in PBL, sharing the dressing room with the stars. Satwik had a great 2016, winning a series of titles in men's and mixed doubles and expect more of those as he has had a fine start to 2017.