PSCB shuttlers look too strong

Defending champions Petroleum Sports Control Board start as the overwhelming favourites in the men's and women's team events in the National badminton championships which begin in Jaipur on Thursday.

With national champions Pullela Gopichand and Aparna Popat in their ranks, star-studded PSCB will again look to capture the prestigious Rahimtulla Cup and Chaddha Cup when the inter-state event gets underway.

World number six Gopichand, third seed Siddarth Jain, Abhin Shyam Gupta and Chetan Anand complete the formidable line-up which the Banks Sports Control Board will aim to stop.

The cream of talent in PSCB is evident in the doubles section also, with second seeded pair of Vincent Lobo and Jassel P Ismail and fourth seeds George Thomas and Deepak Amarnath raring to go.

Last year's runners-up Kerala have promising Sanvae Thomas, seeded sixth, and Thomas Kurein, both of who can pose some challenge to the might of PSCB.

Kerala though will have to come out unscathed past Delhi and Maharashtra, both having a fairly good teams. Assam is the fourth team in the group.

PSCB on the other hand will have easy passage into the knockout stage with Uttar Pradesh and Air India in their half.

For the Chaddha Cup, PSCB is the firm favourite, with top three seeds -- Aparna Popat, Manjusha Kanwar and P V V Laxmi -- in their ranks. Former national champion Neelima Choudhary is also doing duty for PSCB, making the team look virtually unbeatable.

Last year's runners-up Andhra Pradesh will depend on Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien.

Related report:
Gopichand, Aparna get top billing
Interview with Gopichand