PSPB men and Maharashtra ‘A’ women get top billing

New Delhi, January 5, 2013: All top-ranked paddlers of the country, including Achanta Sharath Kamal, will be seen in action at the 74th Senior National and Inter State Tale Tennis Championships that get underway at Raipur from January 7.

As per the draw released here today, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) in the men’s section and Maharashtra A in the women’s category, have been given the top billing for the team championships that marks the beginning of the six-day event, which is followed by the individual match-ups.

Teams have been divided into eight groups with each comprising four or three teams after the draw was made. The teams that have been placed atop of their groups have been the ones that need to be watched as they all got their after putting up a great performance at the Lucknow nationals.

No doubt, the petroleum teams have been ruling the roost for a number of years, thanks to their steady supply line of top players even as other teams have struggled to erode their monopoly. Indeed, the Maharashtra women did their star acts last year at Lucknow to make a dent into PSPB’s pride. This is what the rest of the teams in fray here—34 men’s teams and 32 women’s squads who have confirmed entries—will try to do.

But it is easier said than done because for PSPB winning is a habit of sorts. By recruiting the best of talents in the country in their ranks, only the second or third best set of players are available for other teams to lap up. There is a problem there but the individual brilliance of certain players from other teams cannot be ignored.

Among men, they have the likes of Sharath Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh, A. Amal Raj, Sanil Shetty and Soumyadeep Roy and among women the team will be comfortably placed with national champion Poulomi Ghatak leading the charge with K. Shamini, Ankita Das, Madhurika Patkar and Pooja Sahasrabudhe.

After the team championships, the interest will be to see if Sharath Kamal redeems himself to wrest the men’s singles title from Anthony Amal Raj, who jumped on to the table to celebrate his victory at the Lucknow nationals.  Amal Raj may want to retain his title but there will be a host of other players, particularly Soumyajit Ghosh, breathing down his neck.

Poulomi Ghatak will certain have to up the ante here if she want to retain the title as more and more youngsters will like to unseat her. Above all, there is a substantial prize purse on offer and every individual will try to make a most of the occasion.

Press release