Bengaluru Raptors
Bengaluru Raptors (previously Banga Beats, Bengaluru Topguns and Bengaluru Blasters) is a franchise badminton team representing Bengaluru in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The team is one of the six founding members of PBL (previously IBL) in 2013. The franchise was owned by the conglomerate, BOP group in 2013. In 2016, Sachin Tendulkar bought the franchise and named it after his Blasters sports franchises. In 2018, Matrix Badminton Teamworks Pvt. Ltd. took over the team and renamed it to Bengaluru Raptors.
 | |
| Sport | Badminton |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 (as Banga Beats); renamed as Bengaluru Blasters in 2016 and renamed again as Bengaluru Raptors in 2018 |
| League | Premier Badminton League |
| Based in | Bangalore, India |
| Home ground | Kanteerava Indoor Stadium |
| Owner | Slash21 Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. |
| Head coach | Arvind Bhat |
| Captain | B. Sai Praneeth |
| PBL wins | 2 (2018-19, 2020) |
| Website | blrraptors |
Current squad
| Coach |  Arvind Bhat |
| Domestic | Ansal Yadav |
| Arun George | |
| B. Sai Praneeth (C) | |
| Medha Shashidharan | |
| Overseas |  Tai Tzu-ying |
 Brice Leverdez | |
 Rian Agung Saputro | |
 Chan Peng Soon | |
 Eom Hye-won |
Seasons
| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6th out of 6 | 6th Place |
| 2016 | 6th out of 6 | 6th Place |
| 2017 | 5th out of 6 | 5th Place |
| 2017–18 | 2nd out of 8 | Runners-up |
| 2018–19 | 1st out of 9 | Champions |
| 2020 | 1st out of 7 | Champions |
2013 season
| 15 August, 20:00 at Delhi | Banga Beats | 2 - 3 | Mumbai Masters |
| 18 August, 20:00 at Lucknow | Banga Beats | 4 - 1 | Awadhe Warriors |
| 23 August, 18:00 at Pune | Banga Beats | 1 - 4 | Pune Pistons |
| 25 August, 18:00 at Bangalore | Banga Beats | 1 - 4 | Delhi Smashers |
| 27 August, 18:00 at Hyderabad | Banga Beats | 3 - 2 | Hyderabad HotShots |
Banga Beats failed to qualify for semi-finals and finished last in the league table, with 13 points.[2][3][4][5]
2017 season
| 1 January at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Blasters | 4 - 3 | Delhi Acers |
| 3 January at Mumbai | Bengaluru Blasters | 0 - 5 | Chennai Smashers |
| 7 January at Bangalore | Bengaluru Blasters | 3 - 4 | Hyderabad Hunters |
| 8 January at Bangalore | Bangaluru Blasters | 1 - 4 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 9 January at Bangalore | Bangaluru Blasters | 3 - 4 | Awadhe Warriors |
2017-18 season
League Stage
| 28 December at New Delhi | Bengaluru Blasters | 5 - 2 | Delhi Dashers |
| 1 January at Lucknow | Bengaluru Blasters | 6 - (-1) | Mumbai Rockets |
| 7 January at Chennai | Bengaluru Blasters | 2 - 3 | North Eastern Warriors |
| 8 January at Chennai | Bangaluru Blasters | 2 - 3 | Chennai Smashers |
| 11 January at Hyderabad | Bangaluru Blasters | (-1) - 6 | Hyderabad Hunters |
Semi Final
| 13 January at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Blasters | 4 - 3 | Ahmedabad Smash Masters |
Final
| 14 January at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Blasters | 3 - 4 | Hyderabad Hunters |
Bengaluru Blasters finished 4th in league stage, qualifying them to the semifinals where they beat the Ahmedabad Smash Masters 4 - 3. In the final tie against Hyderabad Hunters, they lost by a scoreline of 3 - 4 and ended as runners up. This was their best result in the PBL.
2018-19 season
League Stage
| 28 December at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 3 - 4 | Ahmedabad Smash Masters |
| 1 January at Pune | Bengaluru Raptors | 4 - 3 | Pune 7 Aces |
| 7 January at Ahmedabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 2 - 1 | Delhi Dashers |
| 5 January at Ahmedabad | Bangaluru Blasters | 4 - 3 | North Eastern Warriors |
| 8 January at Bangalore | Bengaluru Raptors | 5 - 0 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 10 January at Bangalore | Bengaluru Raptors | 3 - 2 | Chennai Smashers |
Semi Final
| 11 January at Bangalore | Bengaluru Raptors | 4 - 2 | Awadhe Warriors |
Final
| 13 January at Bangalore | Bengaluru Raptors | 4 - 3 | Mumbai Rockets |
Bengaluru Raptors finished 3rd in league stage with 21 points from 6 ties, qualifying them to the semifinals where they beat the Awadhe Warriors 4 - 2. In the final tie against Mumbai Rockets, they won by a scoreline of 4 - 3 To win their maiden title.
2020 season
League Stage
| 21 January at Chennai | Northeastern Warriors | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 24 January at Chennai | Chennai Superstarz | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 27 January at Lucknow | Pune 7 Aces | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 31 January at Hyderabad | Hyderabad Hunters | 0–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 4 February at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 5–0 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 6 February at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 5–0 | Awadhe Warriors |
Semi Final
| 8 February at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 4–3 | Pune 7 Aces |
Final
| 9 February at Hyderabad | Bengaluru Raptors | 4–2 | Northeastern Warriors |
Bengaluru Raptors beat Northeastern Warriors 4-2 in the finals to become champions. This made them the only team to win the PBL title twice in consecutive editions.
References
- "Team Squad". Premier Badminton League. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- "Banga Beats (theBangaBeats) on Twitter". Twitter.com. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- "Banga Beats". Facebook. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- "IBL-Indian Badminton League 2013 - Indian Sports". Banga Beats. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- "BOP Group – Top Real Estate Property Consultants In Noida". Bopgroup.in. 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2014.