IBL: Close contest on cards as Saina gears up for Sindhu test

New Delhi: All eyes will be on the clash between Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu when Hyderabad Hotshots take on Awadhe Warriors on the second match, while Banga Beats will lock horns with Mumbai Masters in the evening in the USD 1 million Indian Badminton League at the Siri Fort Sports complex here on Thursday.

Two of the finest exponent of the game, Saina and Sindhu have never clashed in a tournament and with the growing reputation of the younger Hyderabadi following her bronze medal winning feat at the World championship, has led to a excitement regarding the clash. "We have played each other many times at the academy but we have never played outside. For me it is just a normal match and I think it is good and it will be fun," Saina said. Former Olympic and World champion Taufik Hidayat and India`s Ajay jayaram will shoulder the responsibility of the two men`s singles with their opponents likely to be RMV Gurusaidutt and K Srikanth. In Markis Kido, Lucknow has an experienced men?s doubles player but it remains to be seen who the 2008 Olympic champion pairs up when they take on Malaysian combo of Khim Wah Lim and Goh V Shem, ranked 17 in the world. Pradyna Gadre and Tarun Kona are likely to share the responsibility of the mixed doubles competition, while for Lucknow, they would look to give young K. Maneesha a chance in the middle with K Nandagopal. "We have a very balanced team. Saina, Taufik should bring us a win in one men`s singles and a women?s singles, while we should also win the men`s doubles as we have an establish pair. Lets hope for the best," Hyderabad coach Rajendra Kumar said. In the evening match, world number one Lee Chong Wei ?s led Mumbai will take on the Hu Yun of Hong Kong, while the second men`s singles will be a clash between Parupalli kashyap and marc Zwiebler. In the women`s singles, it will the three-time All England Champion Tine Baun against tai Tzu-ying of Chinese Taipei or Carolina Marin of spain. Carsten Mogensen, Akshay Dewalkar and Aparna Balan will share the responsibility in the men?s doubles and mixed doubles competition for Bangalore. For Mumbai, Mau Attri, Siki Reddy and Pranav Chopra is likely to take the court. PTI