National top badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei lost to top Indian player, K. Srikanth in the Premier Badminton League in Mumbai Sunday.
The former world number 1 who represented the Hyderabad Hunters lost to Srikanth, ranked number nine in the world, 12-15, 15-6 and 7-15 in the competition that uses the old format of 15 points per set.
However, his team won 3-2 against Bengaluru Hot Guns in the two week tournament which offers USD1 million (RM4.3 million) as price money for the winning team.
Malaysian pair Hoon Thien How/Kim Wah Lim who represented Bengalaru Hot Guns also when down to a scratch pair Carsten Mogensen of Denmark and Indonesian Markis Kido.
The Malaysian pair went down 13-15, 15-9 and 15-14 in a closely contested match. Hyderabad had wrapped up the tie even before Srikanth’s battle against Chong Wei by winning two of the first three matches, but still it was a memorable win by the Indian, who has never beaten the Malaysian great in four previous encounters at international level.
Chong Wei is the most highly paid player of the tournament where Hyderabad Hunters secured his services for USD100,000 (about RM430,000).
The preliminary rounds of the tournament started in Mumbai yesterday (Jan 2) and the grand final is scheduled on Jan 17 in New Delhi.
RESULTS: Hyderabad Hunters beat Bengaluru Top Guns 3-2 (Supanida Katethong lost to Suo Di 8-15 11-15; Carsten Mogensen/Markis Kido beat Hoon Thien How/Kim Wah Lim 13-15 15-9 15-14; P Kashyap beat Sameer Verma 15-14 15-13; Jwala Gutta/Kido lost to Ashwini Ponnappa/Joachim Fischer Nielsen 13-15 13-15; Lee Chong Wei lost to Kidambi Srikanth 12-15, 15-6, 7-15).
– BERNAMA
