Hotshots fire Pistons, storm into IBL final

Ajay Jayaram gave the hosts a 1-0 lead when he outplayed Tien Minh Nguyen 21-17, 21-11 in the men's singles encounter.u00a0

Saina Nehwal beat Juliane Schenk to give Hyderabad a 2-0 lead yesterday

Then, Nehwal produced a hard-fought 21-10, 19-21, 11-8 win over German Juliane Schenk to double Hyderabad's lead over the Pune outfit. In the third clash, the men's doubles, Hyderabad's Goh V Shem and Lim Khim Wah rallied from a game down to beat Pune's Thomas Sanave and Joachim Fischer Nielsen 16-21, 21-14, 11-7.

The Hotshots await the winner of the second semi-final between Mumbai Masters and Awadhe Warriors to be played today. The final of the inaugural franchise-based tournament will be on August 31 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium in Mumbai. u00a0