Jalandhar shuttlers shine in badminton championship
The Punjab State Senior Badminton Championship concluded on a high note at the Raizada Hansraj Badminton Stadium in Jalandhar, with local players dominating the event.
Jalandhar’s Manya Ralhan and Mridul Jha emerged as best performers as both won two gold medals each in their respective categories. Ralhan triumphed in both women’s singles and doubles, while Jha secured victories in the men’s singles and mixed doubles. Additionally, Adhyan Kakkar from Amritsar earned titles in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
In women’s singles final Ralhan triumphed over Samridhi Bhardwaj with a 21-18, 21-13 score. In the men’s singles final, Mridul Jha narrowly defeated Shikhar Rallan, 27-25, 21-19. The men’s doubles final saw Adhyan Kakkar and Mridul Jha dominate Love Kumar and Mayank Behal with a 21-18, 21-12 victory. In the women’s doubles final, Manya Ralhan and Samridhi Bhardwaj defeated Liza Taank and Saanvi Nautiyal 22-20, 21-11. The mixed doubles final saw Adhyan Kakkar and Liza Taank beating Manmohit Sandhu and Manya Ralhan with 21-16, 21-16.
DBA secretary Ritin Khanna shared that approximately 200 players participated in five events. This year’s championship marked a milestone for the Punjab Badminton Association as it introduced cash prizes totaling Rs 2 lakh for the first time. The winners were presented awards by chief guest Himanshu Aggarwal, DC, Jalandhar. In addition, Inayat Gulati from Jalandhar and Jagshar Khangura from Patiala won cash prizes of Rs 11,000 each for their achievements.
The victorious players will represent Punjab at the upcoming National Championship in Bengaluru later this month. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including PBA secretary Anupam Kumaria, Rakesh Khanna, Naresh Budhia, Anil Bhatti, AK Kaushal, Dheeraj Sharma, Mayank Behl, and Parminder Sharma.
