Bengaluru to Host the 77th Inter-Zonal and 86th Senior National Badminton Championships from December 18
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Bengaluru, Dec 16 (NationPress) An exhilarating domestic badminton season, marked by the rise of young talent and a resurgence of seasoned players, is gearing up for an impressive conclusion with the 77th Inter-Zonal and 86th Senior National Badminton Championships set to unfold at the Karnataka Badminton Association courts in Bengaluru from December 18 to 24.
The Championships will commence with the Inter-Zonal team events, while the individual competitions will start on December 20. Defending champions, Chirag Sen in men's singles and Anmol Kharb in women's singles, will be striving to hold onto their titles amidst a fiercely competitive landscape.
According to Sanjay Mishra, secretary of the Badminton Association of India, "The Senior National Championships represent the zenith of our domestic circuit, and with the elevated competition levels, badminton enthusiasts in Bengaluru can anticipate high-caliber matches over the next week. We are eager to see new talents emerge from the challenging younger players as this event closes our calendar year in alignment with the BWF calendar."
The competitiveness of the senior nationals is evident, as no men's singles player has successfully defended their title since Chetan Anand did so in 2006-07. Meanwhile, Saina Nehwal remains the sole women's singles player to have won back-to-back titles during the same timeframe.
In the team events, strong rivalries were evident as the defending champions, Airport Authority of India and Maharashtra, did not qualify for this year's Inter-Zonal championships after being eliminated in the zonal round.
In the individual competition, Sen will face significant challenges from world number 34 Priyanshu Rajawat, world number 37 Kiran George, last year's runner-up M. Tharun, and a promising young contingent including versatile Pranay Shettigar.
In the women's division, last year's finalist Tanvi Sharma, seasoned players like Malvika Bansod, Aakarshi Kashyap, Unnati Hooda, former champion Anupama Upadhyaya, and rising star Rakshitha Sree are all set to challenge Anmol.
The mixed doubles champions Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, along with Shruti Mishra and Priya Devi Konjengbam in women's doubles, will also be looking to defend their titles.
This marks the third occasion on which Bengaluru has hosted the senior nationals since the beginning of the 21st century, with a total prize pool of Rs 50 lakh, including Rs 10 lakh for the team championships.
A live draw for both the team events and individual competitions will be held on the eve of their respective matches.
