<p>In-form singles specialists B Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth delivered outstanding performances as Bengaluru Raptors rallied to beat Awadhe Warriors 4-2 and march into the final of the Premier Badminton League here on Friday.</p>.<p>Taking the court after Christiansen Mathias and Ashwini Ponnappa put Warriors 2-0 ahead with a polished 15-10, 15-7 win over Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, Praneeth got Raptors on board with a dominating 15-9, 15-4 defeat of South Korean Lee Dong Keun to send the decibel levels soaring at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.</p>.<p>Srikanth, in irrepressible form with six wins from as many games, extended his unbeaten streak after outplaying Wan Ho Son 15-7, 15-10 to level the scores 2-2. The men’s doubles pairing of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan then delivered the knockout punch on Warriors, pipping Lee Yang and Mathias 15-14, 15-9 in a tense affair. It was Raptors’ trump game, earning them two points and the victory.</p>.<p>World No 8 Srikanth had vanquished all comers quite comfortably in his earlier games but he faced a real challenge in Son, the South Korean ranked three places above him and holding a marginally superior 5-4 head to head record.</p>.<p>Srikanth came out all guns blazing in the opening game to instantly put Son on the back foot.</p>.<p>Hardly allowing Son to settle down, Srikanth surged to a 10-4 lead and then comfortably wrapped up the opening game.</p>.<p>Son struggled to gain any sort of rhythm in the second too as Srikanth continued to toy with him. The Indian produced some rip-roaring smashes which Son had no clue about. Within a few minutes, Srikanth jumped to an 8-2 lead and the writing was on the wall for Son. The South Korean then went for broke at that stage but Srikanth, after a minor wobble, took control of the situation to post a resounding win.</p>.<p>Ahsan and Setiawan rode on that momentum to seal Raptors’ place in Sunday’s final.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><strong>Results:</strong> Bengaluru Raptors bt Awadhe Warriors 4-2 (Marcus Ellis/ Lauren Smith lt to Christiansen Mathias/ Ashwini Ponnappa (T) 10-15, 7-15; B Sai Praneeth bt Lee Dong Keun 15-9, 15-4; Kidambi Srikanth bt Wan Ho Son 15-7, 15-10; Mohammad Ahsan/ Hendra Setiawan (T) bt Lee Yang/ Christensen Mathias 15-14, 15-9).</p>
<p>In-form singles specialists B Sai Praneeth and Kidambi Srikanth delivered outstanding performances as Bengaluru Raptors rallied to beat Awadhe Warriors 4-2 and march into the final of the Premier Badminton League here on Friday.</p>.<p>Taking the court after Christiansen Mathias and Ashwini Ponnappa put Warriors 2-0 ahead with a polished 15-10, 15-7 win over Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith, Praneeth got Raptors on board with a dominating 15-9, 15-4 defeat of South Korean Lee Dong Keun to send the decibel levels soaring at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.</p>.<p>Srikanth, in irrepressible form with six wins from as many games, extended his unbeaten streak after outplaying Wan Ho Son 15-7, 15-10 to level the scores 2-2. The men’s doubles pairing of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan then delivered the knockout punch on Warriors, pipping Lee Yang and Mathias 15-14, 15-9 in a tense affair. It was Raptors’ trump game, earning them two points and the victory.</p>.<p>World No 8 Srikanth had vanquished all comers quite comfortably in his earlier games but he faced a real challenge in Son, the South Korean ranked three places above him and holding a marginally superior 5-4 head to head record.</p>.<p>Srikanth came out all guns blazing in the opening game to instantly put Son on the back foot.</p>.<p>Hardly allowing Son to settle down, Srikanth surged to a 10-4 lead and then comfortably wrapped up the opening game.</p>.<p>Son struggled to gain any sort of rhythm in the second too as Srikanth continued to toy with him. The Indian produced some rip-roaring smashes which Son had no clue about. Within a few minutes, Srikanth jumped to an 8-2 lead and the writing was on the wall for Son. The South Korean then went for broke at that stage but Srikanth, after a minor wobble, took control of the situation to post a resounding win.</p>.<p>Ahsan and Setiawan rode on that momentum to seal Raptors’ place in Sunday’s final.</p>.<p class="ListBody"><strong>Results:</strong> Bengaluru Raptors bt Awadhe Warriors 4-2 (Marcus Ellis/ Lauren Smith lt to Christiansen Mathias/ Ashwini Ponnappa (T) 10-15, 7-15; B Sai Praneeth bt Lee Dong Keun 15-9, 15-4; Kidambi Srikanth bt Wan Ho Son 15-7, 15-10; Mohammad Ahsan/ Hendra Setiawan (T) bt Lee Yang/ Christensen Mathias 15-14, 15-9).</p>