SEASON TWO of Premier Badminton League was a nightmare for Delhi Dashers as the team finished at the bottom of the points table with just a total of eight points out of five matches played.
The second season was all the more dreadful one for the Acers as they had won the opening edition of PBL. They did have the strong players like Jan O Jorgensen, Jwala Gutta, Vladimir Ivanov and his partner Ivan Sozonov but just couldn't connect or get the rhythm right.
They have revamped their team this season with some great addition. But have managed to keep the Russian duo of Vladimir/ Sozonov.
Leading the women's singles will be Sung Ji Hyun and she will crusade the campaign for the Acers this season. In the last edition she played a key role for Mumbai Rockets, helping them reach the finals and ended as runners-up. She too like Sindhu, Marin, Tai has had a great season this year.
It will also be interesting to see the level of competition among these as once again the best will be seen playing under one roof and fans in the respective venues will get a glimpse of this competition.
Spearheading the men's singles department will be Tian Houwei, Wong Wing Ki Vincent and Guru Sai Dutt, all of them experienced and on their given day, can pose a threat for their opponents.
In the doubles, along with Russian duo are Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Ashwini Ponnappa who come with relatively great experience and it should boost the confidence of the team. These players have played in PBL earlier, they know the conditions and here and have got used to the points system too (it will be 15 point game).
Ashwini and Pranaav are a great addition in the doubles. Indian badminton fans have got to see a lot of interesting pairings like Pranaav/Chris Adcock among others. So it will be another interesting sight to see Pranaav and Ivan or Vladimir playing together while in mixed doubles, either of them pairing up with Ashwini.
The others in the team include Aarthi Sara Sunil (doubles) and Shreyanshi Pardeshi (WS). This would be great learning experience for these young and upcoming shuttlers.
As a whole, Delhi Acers have got a well packaged team that will need to shine on court when in need against their tough opponents.