GB Birla Badminton: Double delight for Nachanekar, Palekar, and Divecha
Mumbai, April 20
Mangrish Palekar, Manoj Nachanekar, and Naheed Divecha bagged double crowns in the G D Birla Memorial Masters Inter-Club badminton Tournament, promoted by Badminton Gurukul, which concluded at the host club, Bombay Gymkhana.
Nachanekar had a fight on his hands against Rahul Bhuvad before winning in three games, 21-12, 16-21, 21-18 to win the professional singles title. He and Bhuvad then got together in the professional doubles final to rally from the loss of the first game and defeat Kalpesh Pednekar and Sanjay Golbare 20-22, 22-20, 21-17.
Palekar partnered with Vikrant to win the 45 men's doubles, defeating Sushant Shetty and Vishal Manchanda 21-14, 21-11. He then joined hands with Deepak Jaitley to score an equally easy 21-10, 21-13 win over Nigel D'Sa and Rohan Radhakrishnan for the 85+ men's doubles title.
Naheed Divecha won the 75+ women's doubles along with Aparna Popat, defeating Palkan Dave and Shweta Thakur 21-13, 21-18. She also lifted the UNI doubles title with Shailesh Daga, defeating Bibhash Chatterjee and Rajesh D'Souza 21-17, 15-21, 21-11.
P J Hindu emerged as the Champion Club, defeating Goregaon Sports Club 2-1 in the Elite Division, while Vanita Samaj Tigers won the Plate, defeating WCG Team White 2-0.
Results (all finals):
MD 85+ (Final)
Deepak Jaitly / Mangirish Palekar [1] bt Nigel D'Sa / Rohan Radhakrishnan [2] - 21-10, 21-13
UNI Doubles (Final)
Naheed Divecha / Shailesh Daga [1] bt Bibhash Chatterjee / Rajesh D Souza [2] - 21-17, 15-21, 21-11
MD 45 (Final)
Mangirish Palekar / Vikrant bt Sushant Shetty / Vishal Manchanda - 21-14, 21-11
WD 75+ (Final)
Aparna Popat / Naheed Divecha [1] bt Mrs Palkan Dave / Shweta Thakur [2] - 21-13, 21-18
Professional Singles (Final)
Manoj Nachanekar [1] bt Rahul Bhuvad - 21-12, 16-21, 21-18
Professional Doubles (Final)
Manoj Nachanekar / Rahul Bhuvad [1] bt Kalpesh Padekar / Sanjay Golbare [2] - 20-22, 22-20, 21-17
Team Championship 2026 (Final)
PJ Hindu bt Goregaon Sports Club A 2-1 (Elite)
Vanita Samaj Tigers A bt WCG Team White 2-0 (Plate)
— IANS
Reader Comments
So inspiring to see Naheed Divecha winning two titles, including with the legendary Aparna Popat! It's wonderful to see senior players competing with such passion. This gives hope to all of us that age is just a number. More power to them!
Congrats to P J Hindu Club! The team championship is always special. Bombay Gymkhana is a classic venue for such events. Wish the article had more details on the Plate final though, Vanita Samaj Tigers' win seems impressive too.
Mangrish Palekar winning two doubles titles in different age categories is no small feat. The 85+ final score was so one-sided! It's great that clubs are organizing these masters tournaments. Keeps the sporting spirit alive well past retirement age.
Respectfully, while the coverage is good, it feels very Mumbai-centric. There are fantastic veteran players and tournaments happening in Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru too. National media should try to give a more pan-India view of masters sports.
The professional doubles final scoreline... 20-22, 22-20, 21-17! That's as close as it gets. Must have been an epic match. Hats off to all participants. GD Birla Memorial tournament always has high quality.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.