INDORE: Even before the first shuttle is hit in the National badminton championship, beginning at the Abhay Prashal indoor stadium on Tuesday, the organisers and lovers of the sport are in for a disappointment.
Defending champions Chetan Anand and Saina Nehwal, the one who would have been the star of the championship for the sheer weight of her achievements thus far, have pulled out.
An official word was not there as was indicative from the routine pre-championship press conference on Monday when the Madhya Pradesh Badminton Association Secretary, Anil Choughule, only detailed the arrangements made for the Rs. 60-lakh budgeted event, being held here for the first time, and the high expectations of some top quality competition over the next nine days and chief referee Muralidharan dwelt on the technical aspects.
New champions
In the absence of two top world-level players — one ranked 10th (Saina) and the other 13th — this Nationals is assured of one thing — two new champions.
Will it be fifth-time lucky for Aravind Bhat or can Anup Sridhar, on a comeback, regain it? Will it be Trupti Murgunde (because promising Aditi Mutatkar is unlikely to play because of injury) or junior champion Sikky Reddy in the women’s section? The field is wide open.
Defending champions Chetan Anand and Saina Nehwal, the one who would have been the star of the championship for the sheer weight of her achievements thus far, have pulled out.
An official word was not there as was indicative from the routine pre-championship press conference on Monday when the Madhya Pradesh Badminton Association Secretary, Anil Choughule, only detailed the arrangements made for the Rs. 60-lakh budgeted event, being held here for the first time, and the high expectations of some top quality competition over the next nine days and chief referee Muralidharan dwelt on the technical aspects.
New champions
In the absence of two top world-level players — one ranked 10th (Saina) and the other 13th — this Nationals is assured of one thing — two new champions.
Will it be fifth-time lucky for Aravind Bhat or can Anup Sridhar, on a comeback, regain it? Will it be Trupti Murgunde (because promising Aditi Mutatkar is unlikely to play because of injury) or junior champion Sikky Reddy in the women’s section? The field is wide open.
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