Premier Badminton League 2017-18: Hyderabad Hunters will bank on their star power to win third edition

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Hunters are counting on their star power, led by former World No 1 Lee Hyun Il, Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin and feared doubles player Yoo Yeon Seong, to win this edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL). “With Lee Hyun Il, (Yoo Yeon) Seong and Marin, we have the strongest team on paper,” India’s B Sai Praneeth, who will lead the Hunters’ charge in the men’s singles, declared. [caption id=“attachment_3612879” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of B Sai Praneeth. Twitter @BAI_Media[/caption] “We know our stars will shine on the court and we are looking at making it first to the semi-finals and then the finals,” he added. The bigger and grander PBL, with two more teams in the fray, begins in Guwahati on 23 December, with Hyderabad’s exports to Chennai Smashers (PV Sindhu) and Awadhe Warriors (Saina Nehwal) set to open the league on a highly-charged note. “I am delighted to be part of the Hunters team for the second time in a row,” Sai said. “As the semi-finals and final is going to be staged in Hyderabad, I need to give the local fans a treat by giving them a chance to see us in the knockout matches,” he added. After narrowly losing out in the semi-finals last year to the Mumbai Rockets, the Hyderabad-based franchisee has brought in the expertise of former Olympic gold medallist and World Champions Markis Kido and Yoo Yeon Seong to man the doubles’ category. Lee Hyun Il will feature in the singles’ category alongside Sai to launch a solid fight.