Mumbai: The 18-day Badminton extravaganza Vodafone IBL came to an end today with Hyderabad Hotshots winning the Finals against Awadhe Warriors 3-1. Ajay Jayaram brilliantly fought back after losing the first game to beat RM V Guru Sai Dutt 10-21 21-17 11-7 in the last Men’s singles to take his team to victory.
PVP led Hyderabad Hotshots lift the coveted trophy and also received a cheque of Rs.3.25 cr as winners prize money. The Runners-up were presented with a cheque of Rs1.75 cr.
Exuberating excitement and happiness, Hyderabad Hotshots’ icon player Saina Nehwal said, “As a team we all played very well and I am very happy that we are the Champions in the first season of Vodafone IBL. I would like to thank my fans who have supported me all through.”
Talking about her game against P V Sindhu, Saina said, “Sindhu played really well and gave her best but I managed to outwit her. I have been really lucky during the entire League that enabled me to win all my matches.”
“The League has done a lot of good to the sport. There is a visible improvement in Indian players as they have had a chance to play against a host of known national and international experts. In the first year itself it has been great success and it will surely make the game more attractive for players, spectators and going forward IBL will be able to hone more and more talent,” Saina said.
Post winning the deciding Men’s Singles match, Ajay Jayaram said, “Initially I was making errors but the coach guided me through which helped me play the game with more concentration and kept the shuttle in the court.” Talking about the toughest opponent, Jayaram said, “Lee Chong Wei and Srikanth were the most difficult to beat.”
Post the win Goh V Shem said, “The first game was smooth. In the second game, Boe and Kido tried to be in the front but we were quick on our feet. We maintained our calm in the third game and the swift shots helped us win the match.”
Earlier, post winning the Men’s Singles and the only match for Awadhe Warriors, K Srikanth said, “The beginning was tough but after the first interval I was able to increase the point-gap. This gave me confidence to play my game. I remained focused and even though Tanongsak gave me great fight in the second game, the match went in our favor.”
The match tally was as follows: