Grand double by PSCB shuttlers

Star-studded Petroleum Sports Control Board reasserted their supremacy, winning the men's and women's team titles in the Senior National badminton championships in Jaipur on Friday.

The PSCB men, led by world number six Puella Gopichand, demolished Kerala with yet another 3-0 win in the final to succesfully defend the Rahmutullah Cup. They won the championship without losing a single game.

However, the women faced a tough fight in the Chaddha Cup final against Andhra Pradesh, with the shock defeat of top seed Aparna Popat. The India No. 1 lost to junior national champion Jwala Gutta, ensuring the tie was stretched to its full length.

Manjusha Kanwar made it even for PSCB with a hard-fought three-game win over 17-year-old Shruti Kurien in a match affected by power failures.

Kanwar then combined with P V V Laxmi to defeat the pair of Kurien and Gutta to clinch the title for PSCB.