Sindhu, Tai fetch 77 lakh each in PBL auction

New Delhi: World champion P V Sindhu was on Tuesday retained by Hyderabad Hunters for Rs 77 lakh in the auction for the fifth season of the Premier Badminton League here.
World number 1 women’s singles player Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei was also bought for joint highest amount of Rs 77 lakh by defending champions Bengaluru Raptors after a bidding war with the Pune 7 Aces.
Another top Indian player B Sai Praneeth was also retained by Benagluru Raptors for Rs 32 lakh. Among other Indians who were retained by their respective franchises are men’s doubles players B Sumeeth Reddy (Rs 11 lakhs by Chennai Superstarz) and Chirag Shetty (Rs 15.50 lakhs by Pune 7 Aces). World number 9 American women’s singles player Beiwan Zhang too has been retained by Awadhe Warriors for Rs 39 lakhs. National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand’s daughter Gayatri Gopichand was picked up by Chennai Superstarz, while young Assamese shuttler Ashmita Chaliha was bought by her home team North Eastern Warriors for Rs 3 lakhs. The PBL season 5 lost some sheen after London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth pulled out of the event to focus on their international careers. While Saina, who played for North Eastern Warriors in the last PBL, pulled out of the 2020 event to prepare herself for the next international season, Srikanth wanted to focus on international events ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The teams will comprise a maximum of six foreign players and a minimum of three female shuttlers in a squad. (PTI)