IPBL: Lucknow and Chennai Dominate Inaugural Edition Opener
Image Source: Internet
New Delhi: The Indian Pickleball League (IPBL) kicked off its inaugural edition with a bang as top teams Lucknow Leopards and Chennai Super Warriors asserted their dominance on day one. Held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall in Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, the opening day saw three thrilling matches. Lucknow Leopards made a compelling start with a 4-1 victory over Bengaluru Blasters, led by India's top-ranked player Aditya Ruhela. Ruhela's impressive 15-10 win over Phuc Huynh set the tone for the match, which Bengaluru briefly clawed back in men's doubles. However, Shelby Bates' 15-5 victory in women's singles and her 15-13 doubles win with Pearl Amalsadiwala sealed the tie. In another closely contested match, Hyderabad Royals secured a 4-2 win over Capital Warriors Gurgaon. Ben Newell's gritty 15-13 opener and a strong men's doubles performance with Divyanshu Kataria established early dominance. The Royals then clinched the tie with Megan Fudge's thrilling 15-14 singles win and her 15-10 women's doubles victory with Snehal Patil. The evening saw Chennai Super Warriors bounce back from a match down to sweep their tie against Mumbai Smashers 5-1. DUPR Men's Singles World No. 3 Quang Duong's 15-12 win over Mitchell Hargreaves got the Smashers off to a strong start, but Chennai rallied to win four consecutive matches. Roos van Reek's 15-10 women's singles victory and her 15-10 women's doubles win with Aaliya Ebrahim sealed the tie, with van Reek and Harsh Mehta claiming the players of the tie honours.
