Pune: Awadhe Warriors thrashed Delhi Smashers by 4-1 and registered their maiden win in the cash-rich Indian Badminton League at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Thursday.
With this emphatic win, Awadhe Warriors managed to clinch the bonus point and ended up picking total five pints which took their rankings to number four spot with eight points in their kitty.
K. Srikanth started off well and gave Warrior a head start as he managed to thrash Sai Praneeth. He won the match in straight games by 21-12, 21-9 which was an ideal start for a team who were lurking at the second last spot of the table.
Awadhe Warrior then introduced their icon player, PV Sindhu, who ousted Arundhati Pantawane by 21-16, 21-17. With this win, she not only gave her team a lead of 2-0 but also registered her maiden win in IBL.
Delhi Smashers were looking down and out but the Malaysian pair of Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Hoeng won their match to keep their hopes alive for their side in this tie. They won the match by 21-16, 21-19 against the Markis Kido and Mathias Boe of the Warriors.
After reducing the lead to 2-1, Smashers were looking quite charged up but R. M. V. Gurusaidutt registered a win which threw Smashers out of the contest. Gurusaidutt won the match by 21-16, 21-20 against Daren Liew and gave his team the much-needed victory to keep their hopes alive in this competition.
In the final match of the day, Awadhe kept their supremacy as the pair of brother-sister of Kido and Pia Bernadet won a stiff contest against V. Diju and Prajakta Sawant. The match went down the wire but the Awadhe Warriors kept their cool to clinch this fourth win of the evening by 21-20, 21-19 which also gave them a crucial bonus point.
Friday's action will see Banga Beats taking on hosts Pune Pistons here.