Badminton: Smt. Krishna Khaitan Memorial tournament from Sep 12 | Badminton News

The 31st edition of the Smt Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking Badminton Prize Money tournament will be held at Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, Sector 3, Panchkula, from September 12-19.
The tournament, being organised Express Shuttle Club Trust under the aegis of Haryana Badminton Association, will be one of the junior ranking tournaments in the Badminton Association of India (BAI) calendar this year.
“We are expecting more than 1,100 entries for the 31st edition of the Smt Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Ranking Badminton Prize Money tournament this year. It will offer important ranking points to U-19 players and some of the top junior players on the domestic calendar are expected to feature in this year’s tournament,” said competition director Sanjiv Sachdeva.
Last year, more than 1,150 entries were received for the tournament. This year’s tournament will see players competing in U-19 categories in boys’ and girls’ singles’ as well as boys’, girls’ and mixed doubles. The tournament will carry a total prize money of Rs four lakh with quarter-finals in boys’ singles and girls’ singles also getting a share.
Players born on or after January 1, 2006 are eligible to compete in the tournament and entries will be accepted till August 21. The qualification rounds will be held from September 12-15 with main draw matches from September 16-19.
“The tournament will be played under the aegis of Badminton Association of India (BAI) and BAI-approved referees and judges will be present during the tournament. Players competing in doubles categories from different states are required to have No-Objection Certificates (NOC) from respective state associations. Players are required to strictly adhere to age guidelines as per BAI stipulations. The first main draw and qualifying l will be published on August 28 following which players can contact state units to inform in case there is any omission,” said Sachdeva, who has been the chief coach of the Indian junior team in the past and is a member of BAI’s selection committee.
Last year, Haryana youngster Anmol Kharb had won the girls’ U-19 title beating Tanvi Sharma of Punjab in the final. Pranauv Ram of Telangana had won the boys’ U-19 title after his opponent Lalthazuala of Mizoram withdrew midway into the match.
London 2012 bronze medall Saina Nehwal had won the girls’ singles title in 2005 while double Olympic medall PV Sindhu did so in 2010.

“For the last 31 years, the tournament has been providing junior shuttlers a platform to showcase their talent at the national level and past winners include Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, apart from many other international winners. The tournament will be played on 10 wooden courts and more than 20 BAI-certified judges and officials will be conducting it. There will also be a BAI observer during the tournament,” said Sachdeva.