Published 14:58 IST, November 24th 2019
Saina Nehwal pulls out of Premier Badminton League owing to injuries
29-year-old shuttler Saina was last seen in action in the Hong Kong Open recently where she had to face her fifth first-round exit from the tournament.
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Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal announced on Saturday that she will not be taking part in the upcoming fifth edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) this year owing to illness and injuries. She also went on to address how she hasn't been well throughout the year because of pancreatitis and her injuries and would like to take time off during the PBL to recover and bounce back better. She also apologised to her fans for disappointing them ahead of the upcoming PBL and expressed her wish to be a part of it next year. Saina had also recently pulled out of the Korea Masters World Tour Super 300 tournament because of which there is no Indian participation in women's singles in the tournament this year.
Hey everyone , I won’t be part of the PBL Season 5 . I haven’t been well most part of the year due to pancreatitis and injuries and I would like to take time during the PBL to prepare better . I want to say sorry to all my fans and I hope to be part of the next season of PBL .
— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) November 24, 2019
Saina's past performances
In the women’s singles ranking, Saina Nehwal slipped to 9th place owing to her recent poor performances. Saina Nehwal crashed out of the Denmark Open on October 16 after she lost to Sayaka Takahashi in straight games with a score of 21-15, 25-21. This was the 4th first-round loss for the 29-year-old which summed up her forgettable 2019. Earlier in September, in Korea Open, Saina Nehwal had to retire from her match against local favorite Kim Ga Eun because of her injuries. The 29-year-old was last seen in action in the Hong Kong Open where she had to face her fifth first-round exit from the tournament after losing to China's Cai Yan Yan 13-21, 20-22. Earlier this year, Cai Yan Yan had knocked out Nehwal in the first round of the China Open.
Premier Badminton League
The fifth edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) will start from January 20, 2020, and will continue till February 9, 2020. This year PBL is all set to be hosted in four cities across India. The cities selected are — Chennai, Delhi, Lucknow, and Bangalore.
13:49 IST, November 24th 2019