Chirag, Rituparna, Loh guide Pune 7 Aces to win over Mumbai Rockets

Chirag Shetty, Rituparna Das and Loh Kean Yew guided Pune 7 Aces to a win over Mumbai Rockets in an entertaining Maharashtra derby of the Premier Badminton League here on Saturday.

With the former PBL runners-up Rockets tasting defeat in their only outing so far, they were expected to set up quite a challenge for the Pune franchise as they kept searching desperately for a win.

The encounter started off with a fantastic men's doubles match that had oodles of drama and smashes raining from both sides.

Two-time World Championships bronze medallists Kim Gi Jung and Kim Sa Rang showed their experience and stamina in a hard-fought first game to bag it 15-14. That, however, could not deter the Pune duo who came storming back pretty soon.

For Chirag Shetty, who made history at the Thailand Open alongside Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, it was a priceless opportunity to partner the reigning world champion Setiawan.

Their chemistry was visible from the second game onwards as Shetty upped the ante with