Thane regain title

Former champions Thane stunned defending champions Mumbai Suburban District Badminton Association to emerge mixed team champions, in the Khar Gymkhana-MBA Senior Inter District & Senior Open State Badminton Championship.

Earlier, in the semi-finals, MSDBA halted Greater Mumbai Badminton Association 3-0 to make it to their third straight championship round, while Thane shocked second seeds Pune 3-1.

Thane snatched an impressive 3-1 victory over the top seeds after Kaushal Dharmamer gave MSDBA a flying start with a fluent 21-5, 21-15 win over Aman Farogh in the opening men’s singles. Thane’s star shutter Saili Rane next won the women’s singles following an exciting 21-19, 24-22 win over Riya Pillai in a 50-minute battle between seasoned exponents that had all the ingredients of a thriller.

Saili’s crucial win paved the way for Thane as Akshay Dewalkar and Kabir Kanzarkar bagged the following men’s doubles tie for 2-1 and Karishma Wadkar teamed up with Saili to win the women’s doubles.