Guwahati, December 20, 2023: The mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto continued their victorious run as they defeated Vanlalringngheta Joseph/Laldingpull Ralte 21-5, 21-7 on day one of Yonex-Sunrise 85th Senior National Badminton Championships being held at R. G. Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati on Wednesday.

The prestigious national championships being held from December 20-24 is organised by Badminton Association of India (BAI) in Assam after four years.

Just three days ago, Dhruv and Tanisha had claimed victory at the Yonex Sunrise Odisha Masters 2023. Their victory over Joseph and Ralte in their round of 64 match in 18 minutes speaks volumes about their level of confidence and dominance. Dhruv and Tanisha will face the pair of Abdul Rahman Syed and Mamaikya Lanka in round two.

In the women’s singles encounter, silver medallist in Badminton Asia’s U17 and U15 Junior Championships in October 2023, Tanvi Sharma, overcame Tanya Hemanth with ease. Tanvi handed her opponent a 21-16, 21-11 defeat in the round of 128 match that lasted 30 minutes. The 14-year-old faced a little challenge in the first game but came back strongly in the second to maintain her lead and secure victory. Tanvi will take on Gujarat’s Shreya Lele who overcame her opponent Amolika Singh after an hour-long battle to register a 13-21, 21-14, 30-28 victory.

Last year’s runner-up at the Syed Modi International, where she went down to PV Sindhu in the final, Malvika Bansod secured a 21-6, 21-16 victory against Mayuri Barman.

Meanwhile, the path to victory for Ayush Shetty, the BWF 2023 World Junior Championships bronze medallist, wasn’t as easy in the men’s singles match. Facing a stiff competition from Adheep Gupta, Ayush managed to claim 22-20, 21-17 win in an encounter that lasted 43 minutes. In the round of 64 clash Ayush will take on Neer Nehwal who defeated Joseph Vanlalringngheta 21-9, 21-13 in the first round.

It was a stroll in the park for 2011 BWF World Junior Championships bronze medallist Sameer Verma while he took on Aditya Mondal in men’s singles round of 128. The 29-year-old shuttler from Madhya Pradesh got the better of Mondal when he registered a 21-11, 21-13 victory in 31 minutes. Verma will now face Meiraba Maisnam Luwang in the next match.

For BAI’s U19 top-ranked player Dhruv Negi, 21 minutes were enough to register a 21-7, 21-11 victory over Prem Singh Chouhan. While Negi did not offer any chance to Chouhan in the first game as he raced to take lead. Chouhan, however, did resist in the second game, fighting for every point till the two players drew parity at 10-10. Negi then took control of the match and bagged the second game at 21-11 to set up his match with Orijit Chahila in the round of 64.

Hangzhou, Dec 17 – In a dazzling display of badminton prowess, Tai Tzu-ying from Chinese Taipei and Denmark’s Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen clinched the women’s and men’s singles gold medals respectively at the 2023 BWF World Tour Finals in Hangzhou on Sunday. Meanwhile, Chinese shuttlers showcased their dominance in the doubles categories, sweeping both the women’s and mixed doubles titles.

In a match that redefined dominance, Axelsen dispatched China’s Shi Yuqi with a commanding 21-11, 21-12 victory in just 49 minutes, marking his remarkable third consecutive singles title at this event. The Danish star expressed his elation post-match, noting the significance of the victory and his intense focus during play.

The women’s singles final, however, was a marathon of skill and endurance. It featured a thrilling 73-minute showdown between two of the sport’s veterans: 30-year-old Carolina Marin of Spain and 29-year-old Tai Tzu-ying. After a setback in the first game, losing 21-12, Tai made a remarkable comeback. She adjusted her strategy, attacking more aggressively to dominate the following games with scores of 21-14, 21-18, thus securing her fourth title at this prestigious event. Tai attributed her stellar performance to her positive mindset, especially noteworthy given her recent recovery from an injury.

The doubles events were a testament to China’s strength in depth. In the women’s doubles, the defending champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan encountered minimal resistance from the South Korean pair of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee, cruising to a 21-16, 21-16 victory.

Continuing China’s dominance, the mixed doubles saw world No. 1 pair Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong successfully defend their title. They outplayed their compatriots Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping in a straight-set triumph, winning 21-11, 21-18.

However, the men’s doubles category witnessed an upset as South Korean duo Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae toppled the world No. 1 Chinese team of Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang in a closely contested match, ending with scores of 21-17, 22-20.

The 2023 BWF World Tour Finals have certainly set a high bar for competitive badminton, with breathtaking performances and unexpected upsets highlighting the event. The champions of this edition have not only earned their titles but have also set an exciting precedent for the sport’s future.

December 9, Guwahati: Second seeds Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto came up with a clinical display against third seeds Debora Jille and Cheryl Senen of the Netherlands to reach the women’s doubles final at the Yonex-Sunrise Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament here on Saturday.

Ashwini and Tanisha, who also reached the finals of the Syed Modi International Super 300 tournament last week in Lucknow, defeated their Dutch opponents 21-12, 21-12.

On Saturday, Badminton Association of India president and Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma also visited the Saru Sajai Stadium to watch high quality badminton action.

A total of 317 players from 20 countries are participating in the Super 100 event, the first international badminton tournament being held in Assam in 17 years.

Sarma later interacted with Badminton World Federation officials and BAI about the plans to develop the sport in the country.

The women’s doubles pair will be the only Indian representatives on the final day of competition after the host challenge ended in women’s singles, and mixed doubles categories on Saturday.

In the women’s singles semi-final, Malvika Bansod went down 21-12, 21-14 against Thailand’s Lalinrat Chaiwan while the men’s doubles combination of R Ruban Kumar and Hariharan Amsakarunan lost to Chinese Taipei’s Lin Bing-Wei and Su Ching Heng 21-10, 21-19.

Earlier in the day, Tanisha teaming up with Dhruv Kapila had lost the mixed doubles semifinal against second seeds Hee Yong Kai Terry and Tan Wei Han Jessica of Singapore 21-18, 21-15.

However, the 20-year-old put that disappointment behind when she turned up for the women’s doubles semifinal and ably assisted her senior partner to reach their second consecutive summit clash.

The Dutch managed to keep pace with the Indians till 10-10 in the opening game before Ashwini and Tanisha bagged 11 of the next 13 points.

The second game was much more comfortable with the Indian combination always in the lead after bagging five straight points from 1-1.

Speaking about their performance on Saturday, Ashwini said, “We had decided to take an aggressive approach and we’re happy with the way we executed our game plan.”

Tanisha admitted that their bodies were feeling a bit tired after reaching their second straight final in two weeks. “But we are excited to reach the final and looking forward to winning the title.”

December 6, Guwahati: Experienced campaigner Sameer Verma proved that he was getting closer to his best as he upset men’s singles third seed Kiran George in straight games while women’s singles fifth seed Aakarshi Kashyap saved a match point to beat Denmark’s Amalie Schulz to advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament here on Wednesday.

Verma, who has been struggling with injuries for the last few months, dominated the proceedings against the third seed Kiran through-out the 32-minute second round encounter, winning 21-13, 21-13.

While Kiran could not find a way past Verma, Kashyap kept her nerves after losing the opening game to beat Schulz 15-21, 21-17, 22-20 in a match that saw the Indian play catch-up in the business end of the third game after her opponent clinched four straight points from 13-16 to take a one-point lead.

Kashyap saved a match point at 19-20 and then bagged two consecutive points to set up a second round clash against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Sih yun.

Also advancing to the next round were women’s singles players Ira Sharma and Tanya Hemanth, who defeated their more illustrious Malaysian opponents. Ira came from a game down to beat Wong Ling Ching, ranked 63 placed above the Indian, 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 while Tanya got the better of top Malaysian star Kisona Selvaduray 21-16, 15-21, 21-16 to reach the Round of 16.

Ira will now face another Malaysian Karupathevan Letshanaa while Tanya takes on compatriot Malvika Bansod for a place in the quarterfinals. Malvika had earlier defeated Uganda’s Fadilah Rafi 21-10, 21-10 in the earlier round.

Men’s National champion Mithun Manjunath and junior world championships bronze medallist Ayush Shetty registered contrasting wins to advance to the next round. Mithun, seeded 7th, defeated compatriot Hemanth Gowda 21-14, 21-10 in the second round while Shetty got the better of Indonesia’s Jason Alexander 21-12, 14-21, 21-17.

Later in the day, women’s singles national champion Anupama Upadhyaya advanced to the pre-quarters with a 21-11, 21-16 win over Bilqis Prasista of Indonesia.

But the marquee match of the day was the clash was a face-off between two players from different generations and different style. And it was the 29-year-old Verma, who came on top with flying colours.

The former world no. 11, who has now slipped to 91 and is playing in only his ninth event in the last 12 months, was slow to get of the blocks and trailed Kiran 1-5 in the opening game. But he clawed his way back to level the score at 10-10 and won eight of the nine points players from 13-12 to draw first blood.

He was much more clinical in the second game, racing to an 8-3 lead. Though Kiran tried to fight back and won five consecutive points at one stage to close the gap at 15-11 but it was too little too late.

December 5, Guwahati: Junior world championship bronze medallist Ayush Shetty came up with a confident showing to win both his qualifying round matches convincingly to book a main draw spot in the inaugural Guwahati Masters Super 100 badminton tournament on Tuesday.

Shetty first packed off 7th seed Kiran Kumar Mekala 21-12, 21-15 before beating Siddharth Pratap Singh 21-14, 22-21 in 41 minutes.

In the opening round, the lanky youngster will face compatriot Arunesh Hari.

Speaking about his performance in the qualifying rounds, Shetty said the drift did make things tough in the second game against Siddharth Pratap Singh but he was happy that he could control the rallies and finish the match in two games.

While all the eight men’s singles qualification slots went to the Indian shuttlers, Assam’s upcoming stars Isharani Baruah was the lone Indian qualifier in women’s singles.

Isharani, who had played an important role in helping the state clinch the women’s team gold in the recently concluded National Games in Goa, first defeated compatriot Shriyanshi Valishetty   21-15, 21-12 before getting the better of Indonesia’s Deswanti Nurtertiati 21-19, 21-16 to qualify.

She will now face third seed Sung Shuo Yun of Chinese Taipei in the opening round.

Isharani was happy to have reached the main draw of a Super 100 tournament and felt that the home support made a huge difference. “Both the matches were quite tough. But I am from Assam and it is the first time a Super 100 event is being held here and the support I got from my friends and well wishers was special today.”

December 4, Guwahati: International badminton is returning to the Assamese capital after a gap of 17 years and rising badminton star Unnati Hooda, who has won all the BWF Super 100 tournaments played so far in India, hopes she can break into the top- 50 of the BWF rankings with a win here too. 

She had earlier set a modest target of breaking into the top-100 in the BWF World Ranking by the end of this year. But the 16-year-old has already surpassed that target with back-to-back titles in Abu Dhabi and Raipur and is hoping to get within touching distance of the top-50 spot with a strong showing at the Yonex Sunrise Guwahati Masters Super 100 tournament that begins here with the qualifying rounds on Tuesday.

Currently ranked 79th in the world, Hooda will open her campaign against Stephanie Widjaja of Indonesia in the inaugural edition of the competition that has attracted some top international stars including Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen and Supanida Katethong among others.

“Our target this year was to only break into the top-100 world ranking. But I managed to finish second in the Infosys Open in Bengaluru and won titles in Abu Dhabi and Chattisgarh and I was able to achieve that goal quickly. I have prepared well for this tournament and I am hoping that a good run here will inch me closer to the top-50 mark,” said Hooda, who also reached the second round of the Syed Modi Super 300 meet in Lucknow last week.

Speaking about the experience, Hooda said getting to play against a player of the calibre of former world champion Nozomi Okuhara was a fantastic experience for her and her aim was to find consistency in her play like these top stars.

“Some tournaments I play well but in some I don’t. I am continuing to find that balance between training and tournaments in consultation with my coaches to ensure that I become more consistent next year,” she added.

The city hosted the first India International Challenge back in 2007. The Super 100 event on the BWF Tour is one level above the Challenge event and will provide players like Hooda valuable ranking points if she does well here.

New Delhi, 31 December 2019: South Asian Games gold medallist Ashmita Chaliha expressed that all aspiring badminton players in Assam should join the Assam Badminton Academy in Guwahati. Chaliha, who won two golds at the South Asian Games this year, has been training with an Indonesian coach Edwin Iriawan at the academy for the last two years.

“I would suggest all the aspiring badminton players to join the Assam Badminton Academy. In the academy, there are good coaches and I have been trained by an Indonesian coach Edwin Iriawan for the last two years. If the players go to the academy regularly, it will be very helpful for them,” said Chaliha.

The 20-year-old, who won gold in the Tata Open India International and Dubai International in 2018, said that the Khelo India Youth Games is a great opportunity for upcoming athletes to excel in various fields. The third edition of the competition will be held from 10 January 2020 to 22 January 2020 in Guwahati.

“A lot of athletes are getting an opportunity to excel in tournaments such as the Khelo India Youth Games in various fields such as badminton, taekwondo, among others. The government has financially supported all the fields very well. I would like to wish all the athletes, who are participating in the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati, all the very best,” said Chaliha.

The badminton player spoke about how she deals with the pressures on the court. Chaliha doesn’t think about winning or losing and focusses only on playing her best game.

“There are pressures for sportspersons, but my coach always tells me to play my game freely and not to take too much pressure. He tells me not to think about winning or losing and has asked me to focus on playing my best game,” said Chaliha.

January, 2018: Girish Sharma, a champion para athlete, lived a dream this Premier Badminton League (PBL) when he faced champion badminton player Srikanth Kidambi at the center court in Bangalore.  Vodafone PBL enabled Girish, who has taken para Olympic by storm, to showcase his racket skills to the lovers of shuttle play.

Last year, Vodafone had enabled child prodigy Vamsi Krishna to test his mettle against super star Carolina Marin.

Speaking about the initiative, Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. said, “Vodafone has always been associated with sporting platforms and believes that there is great talent in our country to give us exciting sporting moments. We have been using PBL as a platform to give chance to a promising talent to showcase their skills to the nation. We are extremely delighted to take para badminton player Girish Sharma to the center stage and arrange a face-off with world ranker Srikanth Kidambi. Vodafone salutes his courage and hard work that has brought him to this stage today.”

Sharing his excitement of participation in the league, Girish Sharma said, “I am honored and excited to be a part of Vodafone Premiere Badminton League. I am thankful to Vodafone for giving this tremendous opportunity and a great stage to perform. Para athletes across India need platform like these to showcase their talent. This further encourages us to prove that we are no less than any other player.”

Born in Nandwai village of Rajasthan, India, Girish Sharma is an embodiment of courage and grit. Despite losing one leg as a child, he has been playing badminton professionally and has never failed to shine at international events. He represents India both nationally and internationally in countries like, Israel, Dubai, Peru and Thailand. He has also participated in a world championship that was held in Korea in May 2009. Additionally, this sensational athlete has earned two gold medals at the national championship for the physically-challenged and two in Asia Champions 2008 (singles and doubles). He holds the world ranking of 27 in PBWF WH 2 Category.

Watch the rally between Girish and Srikant on Hotstar and on Vodafone Zoozoo page.

New Delhi/ Kolkata, October 8, 2018: Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., the owner of the Delhi Dashers has bagged its prestigious team for the fourth edition of theVodafone Premier Badminton League (PBL), through the Players’ Auction that was announced in New Delhi earlier today. The 4^th edition of the sport promises to be a ritzy affair, with leading players from around the world and the country vying for the winning spot.

At the auction, Mr. Mahendra Singhi, Group CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. said “Badminton being the second most played sport in India after cricket, is very popular. We are thrilled to announce our team Delhi Dashers and the choicest players for this season of Premier Badminton League 2018. Led by Indian icon H S Prannoy and Indonesian champion Tommy Sugiarto, we are confident that the team will perform exceptionally well and emerge victorious this season. We have the right mix of power and punch when it comes to our new players in this edition. It is the vision of the company to make sports a way of life for everyone in the country and Badminton is just the right sport to achieve this. We are privileged and extremely excited for the league to begin.”

The world’s greenest cement company Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. has been associated with sports through active on-ground sponsorship and this is its first foray into sports as a team owner.

Mr. Singhi added “Indian Badminton is an emerging sport where we see a great potential for our youth to make their mark at the world stage. Leagues like PBL will also provide a platform to the youth to choose Badminton as a career. This association will also help greater visibility for our brands with the growing popularity of the game. We look forward to a long-term association with PBL.”

 

The team for Delhi Dashers this year has a formidable line up comprising of one Indian and five international players namely H.S. Prannoy ranked world number 15 in Men’s singles, Tommy Sugiarto, ranked world number 11 in Men’s singles, Evgeniya Kosetskaya, Chai Biao, Maneepo Ngjongjit and Wang Sijie.

The Delhi team, which was known as Delhi Acers till two editions, was officially rechristened to Delhi Dashers from the 3^rd season. Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. became the new owners of the Delhi Dashers franchise from the third edition (2017–18) of PBL.

The PBL, which is held under the aegis of the Badminton Association of India has already acquired the tag of being the richest badminton league that attracts all the top players. The 24-day league will see eight teams, namely Delhi Dashers, Mumbai Rockets, Bengaluru Blasters, Chennai Smashers, Hyderabad Hunters, North Eastern Warriors, Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Awadh Warriors in action.

KOLKATA: West Bengal Badminton Association (WBBA) in it’s endeavour to promote Badminton in West Bengal conducting various Age Group Tournaments in the state throughout the year such as U-9/11, U-13/15, U-17/19 and Men and Women.

WBBA is also organising a National Level Tournament every year so that the players of the State can see top players of the Country in action.

This year Bishnupriya Kundu Memorial All India Senior Doubles Ranking Badminton Tournament being Organised at the Indoor Hall of Sports Authority of India, Salt Lake, Kolkata from 15th to 18th March, 2017. Prize Money is Rs. 2 Lakhs.

Yonex AS-10 Shuttlecocks will be used. Yonex is equipment Sponsor of West Bengal Badminton Association.

Top Players from lmost all states of the country such as KERALA, KARNATAKA, GUJARAT, BIHAR, ASSAM, DELHI, UTTAR PRADESH, ORISSA, MAHARASHTRA, HARYANA, PUNJAB, JHARKHAND, CHATTISGARH, CHANDIGARH, TAMIL NADU, TELENGANA, RAILWAYS, ANDHRA PRADESH and WEST BENGAL are participating.

Semi-finals will start around 10 AM on Saturday the 18th March and the Finals will start around 3 PM, followed by prize distribution ceremony. Arup Biswas, Minister-in-Charge – Sports to be present as “CHIEF GUEST” during the finals. Sourav Ganguly, President CAB will be present as “GUEST OF HONOUR”.

Dignitaries such as Surojit Kar Purkayastha, DG & IGP, Sri S.A. Baba, Principal Secretary Sports Department, M. S. Goindi, Director SAI, Ajit Banerjee, President Bengal Olympic Association, Swapan Banerjee,General Secretary, Bengal Hockey Association will also present during the finals.

Jhulan Goswami, Former Indian Women’s Cricket Captain, Former Test Cricketer Pranab Roy and many other dignitaries were present during the inauguration ceremony.

 

Mumbai: Bank of Baroda, India’s Second Largest Public Sector Bank, today sealed its Principal Sponsorship contract with Badminton Olympians PV Sindhu and K Srikanth. The three year deal with the two players was agreed in principle before they represented and made India proud on the International stage at the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Bank of Baroda, Executive Director, Mr. Mayank Mehta said, “Both PV Sindhu and K Srikanth today are household names because of their glorious achievements. The Bank is very excited to have both of them on board & looks forward to a strong bonding and fruitful association in the years to come.”

On the occasion, the Olympic Silver Medalist PV Sindhu said, “I was always keen to be associated with a brand which would compliment my persona. I am humbled and proud of being associated with an institution whose legacy is more than a century old.”

Expressing his feeling on this occasion, K Srikanth said, “I understand the importance of getting a sponsorship from a brand at this early stage of my career. It fills me with new zeal, spirit and energy to keep up my performance and to build popularity for Badminton. Bank of Baroda’s noble support for young budding sportsmen will improve the country’s track record in the field of sports in the global arena.”

This association is a commitment of the Bank in promoting sports and young sporting talent in the country and will go a long way in inspiring future generations in the field of sports.