Saina Nehwal pulls out of Premier Badminton League 5

Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has announced that she would not be taking part in the upcoming fifth edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL), which is slated to take place from January 20 and February 9, 2020.

Taking to her official Twitter handle, the London Olympics bronze-medallist informed that she has not been doing well for most part of the year due to pancreatitis and injuries and, therefore, she has decided to take some time off the game. 

"Hey everyone, I won`t be part of the PBL Season 5 . I haven`t been well most part of the year due to pancreatitis and injuries and I would like to take time during the PBL to prepare better,"  Nehwal wrote.  

"I want to say sorry to all my fans and I hope to be part of the next season of PBL," she tweeted. 

Hey everyone , I won’t be part of the PBL Season 5 . I haven’t been well most part of the year due to pancreatitis and injuries and I would like to take time during the PBL to prepare better . I want to say sorry to all my fans and I hope to be part of the next season of PBL .

— Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) November 24, 2019

Nehwal made her last appearance when she slumped to a 13-21, 20-21 defeat at the hands of Cai Yan Yan of China in the opening round of the Hong Kong Open. Meanwhile, Nehwal too suffered early exits in three back-to-back tournaments in China, Korea and Denmark. 

Overall, Nehwal--who is currently ranked ninth in the world--has suffered first round defeats six times this year.