The second preview of teams of the Indian Badminton League is the Krrish Delhi Smashers
Important information is that all players can participate in two categories in each teammatch. Also the line-up in Men's singles is at the sole discretion of the franchises, and thus does not have to comply with the world ranking.
Now let's take a closer look at the team from the capital of India.
Important information is that all players can participate in two categories in each teammatch. Also the line-up in Men's singles is at the sole discretion of the franchises, and thus does not have to comply with the world ranking.
Now let's take a closer look at the team from the capital of India.
Coach: Rashid Sidek
Icon Player: Gutta Jwala, Mixed Doubles
ROSTER
Name
|
Country
|
Category
|
Salary
|
WR
|
India
|
Mixed doubles
|
31.000 US $
|
96
| |
Hongkong
|
Men’s singles
|
20.000 US $
|
12
| |
India
|
Men’s singles
|
40.000 US $
|
40
| |
India
|
Men’s singles
|
16.000 US $
|
41
| |
Malaysia
|
Men’s Double/ / Mixed doubles
|
50.000 US $
|
2/ -
| |
Malaysia
|
Men’s Double/ Mixed doubles
|
50.000 US $
|
2/ -
| |
India
|
Women’s singles
|
15.000 US $
|
53
| |
India
|
Mixed doubles
|
7.000 US $
|
280
| |
India
|
Men’s double/ Mixed doubles
|
30.000 US $
|
- /96
| |
Thailand
|
Women’s singles
|
15.000 US $
|
15
|
Expected team composition
Cat.
|
Player(s)
|
Power rank.
|
1.MS:
|
Wing Ki Wong
|
3rd
|
2.MS:
|
Sai Praneeth B.
|
4th
|
WS:
|
Nichaon Jindapon
|
6th
|
MD:
|
Tan Boon Heong/ Koo Kien Keat
|
1st
|
XD:
|
Gutta Jwala/ V. Diju
|
3rd
|
Money in play: 236.000 US$
The Smashers did not acquire one of the four more expensive Icon Players. They decided to go with Gutta Jwala, and wisely also bought her former mixed partner V. Diju.
The unit price for the Mixed double ended up in 61.000 US$. I have the pairing as third in my power ranking, but it is possible that the team could improve the category even more in crucial matches by letting i.e. Koo Kien Keat replace Diju.
Wing Ki Wong as the leading Men’s single was in my opinion also quite a good investment. 20.000 US$ were spent on the Hongkong Player. And that left just enough room in the salary cap to buy both Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong. Both players went over their base price, but I’m confident that they will be a very strong card in all the team matches.
Women’s single seems to be the weakest link at first glance. However young Nichaon Jindapon is currently holding her highest world ranking position ever, and the competition is very strong in this category. So not spending too much money in a hard fought category and still very much be in it to win it, is a clever strategy.
Sai Praneeth is the more expensive of the two Indian Men’s singles players in the roster. That pretty much reflect the latest performances were Sai praneeth has done very well and recorded wins over a.o. Wing Ki Wong, Hu Yun and Taufik Hidayat. Still he is only fourth in my power ranking as the Men’s singles category is quite even Steven once you get below Lee Chong Wei. Teams could of course choose to deviate from the world ranking when choosing their line-up. That will make the outcome of the two singles matches very exciting and unpredictable.
Coaching: By appointing Rashid Sidek as the team coach, the Smashers secured one the more experienced coaches in the league. Sidek has a vast experience working with the Malaysia national team, and he has also been with the professional club Nusa Mahsuri. He knows his men’s double pairing very well, and it will be interesting to see if he has a few tricks up his sleeve regarding team composition.
Expected score:.Three team wins and two losses.
Qualify for the semifinals: Yes
Toughest opponent: Awadhe Warriors
Notable clashes:. The Mixed double against Pune Pistons. Gutta Jwala will be facing her former Women’s double partner Ashwini Ponnappa. The team match against Banga Beats could also spell firework, when Sai Praneeth goes up against P. Kashyap or Hu Yun. Again the Mixed double could be decisive. In the team macth against the Hotshots there will be an all Malaysian encounter in the Men’s double, but the the Smashers should be ahead in the overall tie.
Conclusion:
The smashers have done well at the players auction. They have a very balanced team, with a very strong Men’s double and an experienced coach.
I expect them to have a very good chance in each individual team match, and even though I tip them to go 3-2 overall, it seems that the close matches in many of the ties couold easily tip to the Smashers advantage. In their two predicted losses I have Jindapon losing, but in very close match-ups, so she could end up the heroine of the Smashers.
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