It was his first outing in the inaugural Indian Badminton League but the late entry had little impact on his performance as world no.1 Lee Chong Wei powered Mumbai Masters to a 4-1 victory over Delhi Smashers at the NSCI complex here on Tuesday.
The win took Mumbai to a joint first place with Hyderabad Hotshots (11 pts.) while Delhi slipped to fifth with seven points.
The Malaysian superstar first decimated compatriot Liew Daren 21-12, 21-16 and returned with Tine Baun in the mixed doubles to register victory. Like Lee, Baun won her women’s singles tie to give Masters a 2-0 lead. The former champion beat Delhi’s Arundhati Pantawane (world no. 54) 21-11, 21-13.
Staring down the barrel, Delhi were kept in the hunt by their top Malaysian doubles pair of Koo Kiet and Tan Boob, who beat Sumeet Reddy and Manu Attri 14-21, 21-15, 11-7.
Despite their led being cut down to 2-1, Mumbai experimented by fielding Marc Zwiebler against Sai Praneeth in the second men’s singles rubber. A gripping contest followed as Praneeth bagged a tense first game 21-18 before losing the next 10-21. The decider too went down to the wire where the Indian saved a match point making it 9-10. An unforced error cost him the tie and Delhi the match as the Mumbai camp erupted in joy having taken as unassailable 3-1 lead.
Despite the result, the capacity crowd stayed to witness the Lee in action and welcomed him with thunderous applause for the mixed doubles.
It was the first time that Wei and Baun were playing together but the two gelled well and won the first game against Delhi’s talented V. Diju and Prajakta Sawant.
Diju tried his best but Prajakta seemed to be under pressure and it resulted in her playing a defensive game. She shed her inhibitions and was more aggressive at the net which resulted in Delhi winning the next game 21-15. Mumbai’s experienced campaigners kept their cool in the final game and won the deciding game 11-5 to complete the 4-1 scoreline.
On Thursday, Saina Nehwal-led Hyderabad Hotshots will take the on the Mumbai Masters, while Awadhe Warriors clash against Delhi Smashers in Pune.
Smashers’ icon player Jwala Gutta who missed Tuesday night’s match with a shoulder injury is expected to play on Thursday.