PBL 2018: PV Sindhu 'thrilled' to represent Chennai Smashers, says league is great platform for shuttlers

Chennai: Olympic and World Championships silver medallist PV Sindhu said she was excited at the prospect of playing Premier Badminton League (PBL) matches in Chennai. A key member of the defending champions – Chennai Smashers, she said it will be good to play in front of the home crowd and hoped the team can do well and defend the title. [caption id=“attachment_3194174” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Chennai Smashers’ PV Sindhu. Image courtesy: PBL[/caption] The PBL matches in the city will be played between 5 and 9 January next year. Sindhu said the league was a great platform for shuttlers with Indians getting to rub shoulders with some of the world’s best. “PBL is a wonderful platform. It is a place where a lot of talent is showcased. Our team is talented and we have a world class mixed doubles pair (Chris & Gabrielle Adcock) and will give our best,” she said. About her performance this year, Sindhu said she was not too worried about falling short in major tournaments, having lost in the finals of the World Championships and the Dubai World Superseries Finals and hoped to learn from them. “It has been a great year for me. You win some, you lose some. I know where I went wrong and will correct,” she said. Asked if training for an event like the Olympics and the others was different, she said, “It all depends on how one adapts to each tournament and how he/she plays.” Gabrielle Adcock said PBL is a wonderful league and it’s exciting to be part of the tournament which brings together talent from across the globe. “(It) PBL is a wonderful league. There is a lot of talent from various countries, which comes together. It is exciting,” she said. She said it was good to see India’s rise on the world stage in the last two years, adding she was happy to play here. “I am happy to see India’s rise in the last two years. Badminton is a sport in India. I am happy to come here and play,” Gabrielle added. Chennai Smashers’ owner Vijaya Prabhakaran, son of Tamil film actor-turned-politician Vijayakanth, said he was glad that the city will host PBL matches after missing out in the previous two years. “We are thrilled that Chennai will be hosting PBL matches. We hope people will come out in good numbers and support us. Unfortunately in the last two years, due to natural calamities, the matches could not be held here. This time the team will play at home, which is exciting,” he said. He also spoke about plans to take badminton to grassroots level and said he was delighted to have players like Sindhu in the squad.