Rajasthan : Badminton showdown in Bhilwara starts September2,teams from seven states to clash in North Zone Championship.

Jaipur/Bhilwara. A major badminton tournament is set to begin in Bhilwara on Wednesday. The Yonex-Sunrise North Zone Inter-State Badminton Championship will be held at the Four Arms Badminton Academy from September 2 to 6. Teams from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Chandigarh, along with the host state Rajasthan, will participate in this five-day event.

Preparations for the championship in Bhilwara are complete. Rajasthan's players are training hard to clinch the title. According to the organizing committee, practice sessions are underway, and all arrangements for the event have been finalized. Chief Referee Vinay Joshi from Maharashtra has also arrived in Bhilwara. The tournament draw will be conducted on Tuesday at 5 PM, followed by a meeting of team managers and technical officials.

Pre-quarterfinals on Day 1; Quarterfinals on September 3

According to the tournament schedule, the pre-quarterfinal round will take place on the first day following the initial matches. The quarterfinals will be held on September 3, while the finals for the team events and junior individual events will be played the following day. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the individual events will take place on September 5, with the individual event finals scheduled for the morning of September 6.

Four Rajasthan teams in the fray

The Rajasthan Badminton Association has announced the senior men's and women's teams, as well as the Under-19 boys' and girls' teams, for the championship. The senior men's team comprises Shubham Patel, Bhuvan Singh, Dennis Srivastava, Ayush Bhambu, Manish Phogat, Sudeep Chahar, Pranay Katta, Aryan Tyagi, Jagrit Binani, and Sanskar Saraswat. Meanwhile, the women's team comprises Sneha Lamba, Anandita Tamra, Aaradhya Jodha, Deshna Jain, Sheril Chaudhary, Tanisha Singh, Ritika Jhamnani, Utsava Palit, Kavya Swami, and Parul Chaudhary.

Rajasthan has high hopes, particularly for national-level players Pranay Katta and Sanskar Saraswat; both have been included to strengthen the squad. Having previously finished as winners and runners-up in this competition, the team is aiming for a stellar performance on its home turf this time around.

Haryana and Delhi Dominated Last Time

Last year, Haryana achieved double success in the senior team competition, while Delhi's teams emerged as champions in the Under-19 category. This time, Rajasthan is preparing to mount a strong challenge by leveraging the home-ground advantage.

Officials from the Rajasthan Badminton Association and the organizing committee are optimistic that the state's players will put up an impressive performance in the tournament. Arrangements for quality accommodation and meals have also been made for the players. All eyes are now on the matches commencing on September 2, where top badminton teams from the North Zone will vie for the title.