Mumbai, 20th December 2018: In a glittering ceremony, Pune7Aces, the Pune-based Premier Badminton League (PBL) franchisee, unveiled their new team jersey in the presence of Bollywood star and co-owner Taapsee Pannu at Phoenix Market City in Kurla here today.

Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion Carolina Marin, who is the Icon Player of the team, stood alongside the entire team in the new Pune7Aces colours as the team gets ready for their big match against Hyderabad Hunters at the NSCI Dome in Worli on Saturday, December 22, 2018. Interestingly, Rio Olympic silver medalist PV Sindhu is the Icon Player for Hyderabad Hunters and Marin is looking forward for the repeat of the 2016 Summer Olympics final.

Captain of the side, London Olympics doubles specialist Mathias Boe, is the other star attraction of the Pune7Aces side who will lead a team that is a mixture of youth and experience. The other members of the team are Chirag Shetty, Valdimir Ivanov, Line Kjaersfeldt, Lakshya Sen, Brice Leverdez, Harsheel Dani, Ajay Jayaram and Prajakta Sawant.

Speaking on the occasion, Taapsee Pannu, co-owner, Pune7Aces said, “We are thrilled to introduce the new jersey. It draws inspiration from Pune which is the birthplace of badminton in India. The colours are bold and vibrant and a reflection of the team dynamics. We are not conventional, we are a team that cuts against the grain. I am very happy with how the jersey looks, cant’ wait to see my team flaunting it on court. “

Carolina Marin, Icon Player, Pune 7Aces said, “I am excited to join Pune7Aces for PBL. I have been hogging on some masala dosa and other Indian dishes lately, which I love! India has always been a great experience and I am really happy to be back. I am looking forward to my first match against PV Sindhu.”

Captain of the side Mathais Boe added, “It will be an exciting season and I am looking forward to it. We have a very balanced side with youth complimenting experience and I am sure that we will be a very strong contender for the title.”

The Team:

Mathais Boe (Capt.), Carolina Marin (Icon), Chirag Shetty, Valdimir Ivanov, Line Kjaersfeldt, Lakshya Sen, Brice Leverdez, Harsheel Dani, Ajay Jayaram, Prajakta Sawant

Pune7Aces matches:

• 22^nd December – Pune7Aces vs Hyderabad Hunters (NSCI, Mumbai)
• 24^th December – Pune7Aces vs Awadhe Warriors (NSCI, Mumbai)
• 29^th December – Pune7Aces vs Mumbai Rockets (Balewadi Stadium, Pune)
• 30^th December – Pune7Aces vs Bengaluru Raptors ((Balewadi Stadium, Pune)
• 3^rd January – Pune7Aces vs Chennai Smashers (TransStadia, Ahmedabad)
• 6^th January – Pune7Aces vs Delhi Dashers (TransStadia, Ahmedabad)
• 11^th January – Semi-finals (TBD) (Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore)
• 13^th January – Finals ((Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore)

The post Marin excited about opener against Sindhu appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.

Complete Squad:

Men’s Singles | Lakshya Sen, Ajay Jayaram, Brice Leverdez Women’s Singles | Carolina Marin, Line Kjaersfeldt Men’s Doubles | Mathias Boe, Vladimir Ivanov, Chirag Shetty Mixed Doubles | Prajakta Sawant

Pune, 3rd December 2018: The fourth edition of Premier Badminton League (PBL), one of India’s top sporting leagues, welcomes Pune7Aces into the bandwagon of some of the top teams in the league. Taapsee Pannu, Co-owner, Pune7Aces unveiled the team with an exhibition match at Phoenix Market City Mall, Viman Nagar here in Pune today along with the top stars of Indian Badminton namely Ajay Jayaram, India’s Top badminton player; Chirag Shetty, gold medallist in Mixed Doubles and silver medalist in Doubles, Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018; Lakshya Sen, bronze medallist at World Junior Championship 2018, Canada; and Prajakta Sawant, one of the top women badminton players of Indian badminton along with Anand Pawar, Assistant Coach.

Pune’s Balewadi Stadium will be the home ground of the Pune7Aces team who are poised to kick-start their campaign in Mumbai from 22nd December 2018. Besides Taapsee, the team is co-owned by KRI entertainment, a boutique celebrity management house based out of Mumbai. The Pune based team managed to bag some of the top names from the badminton world in the players auctions. The Men’s Doubles king, Mathias Boe will lead the team from the front, while the Spaniard Carolina Marin, gold medalist at Rio Olympic Games 2016 will be the queen of the Women’s Single category along with Danish talent- Line Kjaersfeldt. The team also has a good mix of players in the Doubles category with the presence of a young and promising talent in the form of Chirag Shetty who is also an expert in the Mixed Double’s category along with the experienced Russian, Vladimir Ivanov. The dynamic Indian shuttler- Lakshya Sen will be a powerhouse in the Men’s Singles category.

Pune is a very important market for Badminton because of its historical roots. The first set of rules for the game was laid down in this historic and culturally rich city by the British soldiers back in 1800’s. To continue the legacy of the game, having a franchisee based out of Pune will only boost the morale of more than 10,000 badminton players currently existing in Pune. With more than 50 badminton courts spread across the city, PBL coming to the city will further help in the overall growth of the sport.

Talking about the team Taapsee Pannu, Co-Owner, Pune7Aces, said “I am thrilled for Pune7Aces to start their campaign in the Premier Badminton League. We have a very promising squad with a mix of both young and senior players in the team. We hope that everyone uses their collective experience in the game to take this team to the very top in the PBL. We are in it to win the league and I can already sense that in all my players. Pune is an important market for badminton and I will do whatever it takes in my capacity to take this game to the next level. I am super excited for my team and will be cheering them on from the stands at every single game!”.

Talking about leading the side, Mathias Boe, Captain of the Pune7Aces, said “I am ecstatic to have an opportunity to lead this team. We have a couple of determined youngsters, world champions and even experienced coaches, who are all extremely vital to our success. I may be the senior-most player on this team, but I hope that my experience and technical know-how will allow me to efficiently lead Pune7Aces to victory in the PBL!”.

Previous edition of PBL attracted 60 world class players, including nine Olympic medallist and a pool of talented Indian players in the line-up for the league. With the addition of the Pune7Aces, this number will increase quite significantly.

The post Pune7Aces to start the Pune chapter of Premier Badminton League appeared first on PuneDiary.Com.