Bangalore: An ageing superstar with niggles and aches coupled with a talented player who was playing his second match in 10 minutes. The Mumbai Masters' duo of Vladmir Ivanov and Tine Baun played their hearts out, but fell agonisingly short as they made way for Awadhe Warriors to enter the final of the inaugural Indian Badminton League, here on Thursday .
At the Sree Kanteerava stadium, looking to give their team co-owner Nagarjuna a perfect birthday gift, the Mumbai mixed doubles duo put up a valiant fight in the decider before bowing out 21-19, 21-15 against Warriors' Markis Kido and Pia Z. Bernadet. With a vociferous crowd rooting for them, in a pulsating semi-final encounter, the battling Warriors sneaked into the final with a 3-2 verdict.
Earlier, Mumbai got of to a rollicking start, firing their first salvo through their Malaysian missile.
When you play an icon of Lee Chong Wei's calibre, you either play out of your skin to try and make a match of it, or learn from the legend.
In the opening tie, R.M.V Guru Sai Dutt was handed express shuttle classes by the world no. 1 who whipped the Hyderabad youngster 21-15, 21-7 to hand his team the opening advantage.
The match barely rose above mediocrity as the 23-year-old Warriors' shuttler struggled to find answers to the 30-year-old's deceptive game plan. Lee effectively used a combination of drop shots and dribbles to wear out Dutt. The second game was a stroll in the park for Lee as it looked like Dutt's will to battle his opponent had died.
P.V Sindhu, unfazed by her teammate's mauling in the opening tie cancelled out Mumbai's lead with a convincing win over Baun in the women's encounter.
The Hyderabadi lass ran through the recently retired All England champion's challenge with a 21-16, 21-13 scoreline.
With Sindhu in sizzling form, her 34-year-old opponent's aging legs failed to match strides on the court. Sindhu, like in her previous encounter used the forehand flicks skillfully to add to Baun's struggle.
Tied at 1-all, Warriors took the lead when the combination of Markis Kido and Mathias Boe ran through whatever little resistance Mumbai's B. Sumeet Reddy and Pranav Jerry Chopra could offer, claiming a 21-15, 21-10 win.
However, there was still hope for the Mumbai outfit. The best match of the day was played out by Ivanov and Warriors' Kidambi Srikanth, with the latter putting up a spirited show before bowing out 20-21, 19-21. But Ivanov failed to replicate the magic in the mixed doubles tie.
Warriors will take on Hyderabad Hotshots in the final in Mumbai on Saturday . Sports stars tune in The glamour quotient in terms of Sandalwood's presence may have been missing at the Bengaluru leg of the Indian Badminton League, but to make up for that a clutch of home-grown talents came out to watch the Mumbai Masters take on Awadhe Warriors on Thursday.Leading the pack was ace cueist Pankaj Advani, who is just back from a stint in the UK after playing in the pro-snooker circuit.
Also joining in the badminton festivity was former Indian captain G.R. Viswanath, while Indian international R. Vinay Kumar was joined by Bharat Chipli and fellow state player Stuart Binny, who got to see his wife and popular presenter Mayanti Langer in action.