Verma stuns Prannoy as Mumbai beat Delhi

Mumbai, December 23 

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Mumbai Rockets started their Premier Badminton League campaign on a winning note as they beat Delhi Dashers 5-0 here today. 

The surprise package of the evening was Mumbai’s Shreyanshi Pardeshi who overcame world No. 32 Russian Evgeniya Kosetskaya. World No. 201 Pardeshi was a game down before fighting back to win the match 12-15 15-8 15-10. This was Delhi’s trump match.

Mumbai Rockets got off to a flying start as the South Korean men’s double pair of Kim Gi Jung and Lee Yong Dae scored a come-from-behind victory over Chai Biao and Wang Sijie, winning Mumbai’s trump match 14-15 15-12 15-9. Their good work was carried forward by Denmark’s Anders Antonsen in the men’s singles, beating Tommy Sugiarto from Indonesia 15-13 15-7.

Then came the match of the evening — Sameer Verma, ranked 14th, took on No. 20 HS Prannoy. Prannoy started on an aggressive note and was initially 4-0 ahead. But Verma fought back before taking the tight first game 15-14. Verma then took the second game 15-9 to continue Rockets’ winning run. 

The mixed doubles pair of Lee Chia Hsin and Maneepong Jongjit gave Delhi Smashers their first point after they defeated Lee Yong Dae and Pia Zebadiah 15-11 15-12, but the point was lost when Shreyanshi won the women’s singles tie. — PTI