BAI Selection Trials Day 2 – Indian Badminton Team Selection: Sai Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run- World No. 19 B Sai Praneeth continued his unbeaten run as he defeated Sourabh Verma in stage 2 A men’s singles group at BAI’s selection trials for the upcoming major international team events here on Saturday. Follow BAI Selection Trials updates on InsideSport.IN
Meanwhile, in women’s singles, Aakarshi Kashyap staved off a valiant effort from Tanya Hemanth to win 21-18 12-21 21-14 in an hour and nine minutes in stage 2 A, while Malvika Bansod beat Nivetha M 21-14 21-16 in stage 2 B.
BAI Selection Trials: Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run
Praneeth, 2017 Singapore Open champion, saw off national champion Verma 21-14 15-21 21-13 in a thrilling match at the K. D. Jadhav Hall inside Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex.
The Hyderabad shuttler will next take on Kiran George and Ansal Yadav, who also crossed the preliminary round and are clubbed in stage 2 A group, out of which the topper will play for rank 1 to 4 in a round-robin format.
In another stage 2 A match, George beat Ansal Yadav 21-10 21-9 to also stay in contention for the top position.
Sameer Verma and Raghu M also notched up wins in stage 2 D on the second day of the six-day trials.
While Sameer beat Mithun Manjunath 21-14 21-10, Raghu edged out Maisnam Meiraba 21-14 12-21 21-17 in 51 minutes.
In stage 2 B, Kartikey Gulshan Kumar got the better of Sai Charan Koya 21-16 21-9, while Priyanshu Rajawat defeated Sathish Kumar K 21-16 21-15 in 40 minutes.
BAI Selection Trials: Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run
Alap Mishra trounced Arjun Rehani 21-11 21-13, while Ravi beat Shreyansh Jaiswal 21-19 21-10 in stage 2 C.
BAI Selection Trials:
In stage 2 C, Aditi Bhatt thrashed Kavipriya S 21-14 21-11, while Odisha Open champion Unnati Hooda prevailed over Tara Shah 20-22 21-17 21-9 in 42 minutes.
In other results, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand topped group B to qualify for the second stage, while N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini Ponnappa topped group A to enter the next round.
Gayatri, along with Dhruv Kapila, topped group C of mixed doubles to progress to the next stage.
DAY 2 Results of BAI Trials for Indian Team
The national trials are being conducted to pick the team for the upcoming Thomas & Uber Cup (May 8-15, Bangkok), Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8, Birmingham) and Asian Games (Hangzhou, September 10-25).
BAI Selection Trials: Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run
Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and PV Sindhu, alongside the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, have been named as the automatic selection as they are ranked inside the top 15.
World number 23 HS Prannoy has also been picked due to his recent form which saw him reach the finals of Swiss Open Super 300.
However, two-time Commonwealth Games champion Saina Nehwal, ranked 23, wasn’t considered for direct selection as she hasn’t been in the best of form, having made a series of first-round exits in the last few months.
The India ace had informed BAI about her decision to skip the trials and also slammed the association for not responding to her mail, besides questioning the logic of conducting the trials.
The BAI is also to pick the core group from the trials. Eight singles players in men and women category, six pairs each from men’s doubles, women’s doubles and four mixed doubles combinations.
“We want to give each and every player enough chances to prove their abilities and this is the best possible format that BAI and the selection committee together came up with,” said Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary of BAI.
BAI Selection Trials LIVE: All you want to know about Badminton Association of India Selection trials starting today for CWG, Asian and Thomas Cup, players in trials, timings, venue & LIVE streaming details
Indian Badminton Team Selection – Who will be eligible to participate in Selection Trials? The selection trials will witness the participation of Indian shuttlers ranked between 16 to 50 in the latest world rankings.
The top 15 ranked players including the likes of PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and men’s doubles team Satwiksairaj Rankireddy- Chirag Shetty will get direct entry to the CWG, Asian Games and Thomas Cup.
- BAI selection trials to pick the teams will kick off at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
- A total of 120 players will be participating in the five categories as the 6-day long selection trials will go on till April 20.
- Parents and media will be allowed to watch the matches from the gallery.
- BAI will also select core group probable players for the 2024 Olympic Games as a group of 60 players will be selected through direct selection and trials.
- The selection trials will be held in league-cum-round robin format to decide the positions.
- The seedings in the trials draw will be decided on the basis of international rankings followed by national rankings while combined individual ranking points given by BWF will be considered in doubles.
Why is Saina Nehwal UNHAPPY with the BAI and against the trials? Twice Commonwealth Games Gold medal winner Saina Nehwal is quite unhappy with Badminton Association of India. She has alleged that BAI deliberately wants to remove her from Indian team. She has questioned the timing of selection of trials for CWG & Asian Games.
“Surprised to see all the articles stating that I don’t want to defend my CWG title and my Asiad medal. I’m just not participating in the trials because I just got back from 3 weeks of Europe events and according to the schedule there’s Asian Championships,” Saina tweeted.
“In 2 weeks time, as a senior player, to participate in back to back events nonstop is impossible and it’s risking injuries, such short notice is not possible. I’ve conveyed this to BAI but there has been no response from them. It seems like they’re happy to put me out of CWG n Asiad,” she added.
BAI Selection Trials LIVE: Sai Praneeth, Malvika Bansod & Tanya Hemanth headline Day 2 draws: Follow LIVE Updates
RULES
Men’s Singles
25 players will be divided into eight groups as the top-2 players will progress into the second stage where they will be divided into four groups.
The winner of each group will play for 1 to 4 ranks in a round-robin format.
Runners-up from each group will fight for 5-8 positions while third-placed players will aim for 9 to 12 positions.
Women’s Singles
19 players will be divided into six groups, five of three players each and one with four.
Similar to the men’s singles format, top-2 players will progress into the second stage and then four groups will be formed as they will fight for positions from 1-12 in a round-robin format.
“We want to give each and every player enough chances to prove their abilities and this is the best possible format that BAI and the selection committee together came up with,” said Sanjay Mishra, General Secretary of BAI.
“The players ranked Top-15 in the world have been selected directly as announced earlier. Prannoy’s name has also been included as all the selectors were of the unanimous view that he should be considered for direct selection as he has performed consistently at top events in the recent time and has beaten some top players,” Mishra added.
Men’s doubles and women’s doubles will see the competition of 13 and 11 pairs respectively.
Men’s Doubles
Pairs will be divided into four groups–three consisting three pairs each while one with four pairs in the first stage, the women’s doubles will have four groups with three consisting three pairs each and one with two pairs.
Top-2 pairs will then progress into the second stage and will be further divided into two groups before they will fight for eight positions in each category. Top-2 teams will play for positions 1 to 4 while bottom two teams will fight for positions 5 to 8.
Mixed Doubles
14 pairs will be divided into four groups and Top-2 from each group will move into the second stage where two groups will be formed before final round-robin stage in which Top-2 pairs from each group will fight for first four positions while bottom two teams will play for positions 5 to 8.
When will Thomas & Uber Cup take place?
Thomas and Uber Cup are scheduled in Bangkok from May 8-15.
When will CWG & Asian Games kick start?
Commonwealth Games and Asian Games will take place in Birmingham and Hangzhou respectively from July 28 and September 10.
Where to watch BAI Selection Trials LIVE streaming?
No live streaming, follow all the live updates on InsideSport
BAI Selection Trials: Praneeth, George, Aakarshi and Malvika continue winning run