PBL 2017: TEAM PREVIEW -- Hyderabad Hunters will once again put their trust on Marin & Satwik
HYDERABAD HUNTERS had a good outing in the second edition of the Premier Badminton League as they were one of the top four teams. They entered the semi-finals but lost to Mumbai Rockets and settled for a fourth place in the points table.
The team was led by the Spanish champion shuttler Carolina Marin and the management have once again got back her services for the third edition.
Hyderabad will get another chance to see Marin and the young doubles star Satwiksairaj play for their city. These two individually and together caught the fans' attention in the previous edition.
Satwik, since then has been the regular talk of the town and Marin has only got better at winning titles. She decided to skip the Dubai Super Series Finals due to injury but the fans will hope to see her in action for PBL.
Along with these familiar names, there has been interesting additions to the side too. Lee Hyun Il and Indian shuttler Sai Praneeth in the men's singles category add more firepower to the team.
The Indonesian shuttler Pia Zebadiah strengthens the doubles. She retired in May last year after her first round exit at the Indonesia Super Series Premier. She will be seen back in action since then at the PBL. In the initial stage of her career, she has played in singles but she has left her mark in the women's and mixed doubles. Towards the end of her playing career, she played along with her brother Markis Kido who will also be part of the Hunters this season.
Former #Olympic Gold-Medalist & Doubles Specialist #MarkisKido joins us for #VodafonePBL Season 3. Welcome to the pack Markis! Great to have you on-board. #HuntersArmy#HyderabadHunters#HyderaBADDIES pic.twitter.com/vvYKfkPtSe
— HyderabadHunters (@Hyd_Hunters) December 7, 2017
Accompanying her and Kido in the doubles is Yoo Yeon Seong (South Korea). The South Korean is another shuttler coming with immense experience. His highest ranking in the men's doubles has been World No.1. He along with Kido could be paired for the men's doubles while Pia could go back to playing with her brother in the mixed doubles.
But it will be interesting to see Satwik being paired with one of these above mentioned experienced shuttlers. Once again the young lad finds him sharing the dressing room with the greats of the sport from across countries.
The others in the team include Rasika Raje (WS) and Anoushka Parikh (doubles shuttler).
As a whole, this team once again looks strong and a balanced side but getting the right combination and staying injury free will be the key.
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