Thailand’s T Saensomboonsuk produced a come-from-behind win against India’s Ajay Jayaram in the deciding fifth rubber as Chennai Smashers edged out Mumbai Rockets 4-3 in a thrilling final to clinch the Premier Badminton League (PBL) season two title.
Chennai and Mumbai won their respective Trump matches and with Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu seeing off Korea’s Sung Ju Hyun, it came down to the two men’s singles match to decide the fate of the tie in New Delhi last Saturday (15).
Mumbai’s HS Prannoy then edged out Chennai’s Parupalli Kashyap to make it 3-3 but world number 11 Saensomboonsuk ensured that Chennai had the last laugh as he staved off a spirited challenge from Jayaram to secure the title.
Playing their Trump match, Chennai’s British husband-wife pair of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock, the 2014 CWG gold medallists, delivered a superb game to surpass the Mumbai combination of Nipitphon Puangpuapech and Nadiezda Zieba 11-9 11-6 to grab two points.
China Open champion Sindhu then outclassed world number three and Dubai Super Series Final runners-up Hyun 11-8 11-8 in a dominating display to make it 3-0 in favour of Chennai.
Mumbai then put the onus on their men’s doubles pair of Yong Dae Lee and Nipitphon Puangpuapech to bring them back into the contest, and the duo didn’t disappoint as they notched up a 12-10 11-6 win over Chris Adcock and Mads Pieler Kolding in their Trump match to narrow the margin to 2-3.
HS Prannoy then extended his unbeaten streak to seven matches as he eked out a hard-fought 11-4 8-11 11-8 win over a fighting Kashyap in the first men’s singles to make it 3-3.
But Saensomboonsuk produced a brilliant fightback after being a game down to claim a 9-11 11-7 11-3 victory against Jayaram in the deciding rubber and seal the title.
