Defending champions Hyderabad Hunters start with win as PBL kicks off

Hyderabad Hunters proved that they are primed to defend the title they won last year when they took an unassailable lead of 3-0 lead over newcomers Pune 7 Aces in the Premier Badminton League that started here Saturday.

They took the lead even before P V Sindhu and Carolina Marin took the court for the marque encounter of the fourth season, scoring 4-(-1) points.

The Pune team sprung a surprise by fielding junior world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen for the opening men's singles tie and the 18-year-old almost pulled off an upset against world number 35 Mark Caljouw.

The youngster was solid in defence and showcased some of his trick shots but it was Caljouw who had the last laugh as he bagged the first point for Hunters 10-15, 15-12, 15-14 on the decider point.

Sen kicked off the proceedings of the fourth season with a mixture of sliced drops and down the line smashes and followed them up with quick tap on the net to win points in the opening game.

The Asian junior champion .