# Bengaluru Raptors

Bengaluru Raptors (previously Banga Beats, Bengaluru Blasters) is a professional badminton franchise representing Bengaluru in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). The team was one of the six founding members of the Premier Badminton League (previously Indian Badminton League) in 2013.
The Raptors last featured in season 5 of the Premier Badminton League (2020), finishing as champions for the second time in their history. They previously finished as champions in the 2018-19 edition, defeating the Mumbai Rockets in the final.

## Franchise history
### Franchise ownership

The franchise was initially owned by the conglomerate, BOP group in 2013 before Sachin Tendulkar bought the franchise and named it after his Blasters sports franchises in 2016. In 2018, Matrix Badminton Teamworks Pvt. Ltd. took over the team and renamed it to Bengaluru Raptors. The team is currently owned by Slash21 Sports Management Pvt. Ltd. along with the Kankanala Sports Group.

### Franchise participation

The Bengaluru based franchise first featured in the Indian Badminton League in 2013 under the name Banga Beats. The team's name was later changed to the Bengaluru Topguns and then to Bengaluru Blasters, featuring in the first 3 seasons of the Premier Badminton League recording their best performance in the 2017-18 season, where they finished as runners-up. In the 2018-19 season, the team was officially renamed to Bengaluru Raptors, consequently recording back to back victories in the Premier Badminton League in season 4 and 5 respectively.

## Season history
### Indian Badminton League (IBL), 2013

Sources:
The inaugural edition of the Indian Badminton League saw the participation of six teams that begun on the 14th of August 2013. Banga Beats finished 6th in the overall standings in their debut season, recording two victories in five games. After losing their opening game against the Mumbai Masters, they bounced back by recording a win against the Awadhe Warriors. They then went on to face consecutive defeats against the Pune Pistons and the Delhi Smashers before recording a win in their final game against the Hyderabad HotShots. The Hyderabad HotShots finished as champions of that season.
Banga Beats in the Indian Badminton League, 2013 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| August 15 | Banga Beats | 2 - 3 | Mumbai Masters |
| August 18 | Banga Beats | 4 - 1 | Awadhe Warriors |
| August 23 | Banga Beats | 1 - 4 | Pune Pistons |
| August 25 | Banga Beats | 1 - 4 | Delhi Smashers |
| August 27 | Banga Beats | 3 - 2 | Hyderabad HotShots |
Final Standings, IBL 2013 :
| Team | Pld | W | L | GW | GL | Pts |
| Hyderabad Hotshots (C) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 17 |
| Awadhe Warriors (R) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 16 |
| Pune Pistons | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 16 |
| Mumbai Marathas | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 15 |
| Delhi Smashers | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 13 |
| Banga Beats | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 13 |

### Premier Badminton League, 2016

The maiden season of the Premier Badminton League saw the participation of six teams, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The Bengaluru based franchise was officially renamed to Bengaluru Topguns for the season and finished at the bottom of the table, recording 10 points in 5 games. The Delhi Dashers finished as the champions of the inaugural season of the PBL.
Bengaluru Topguns in PBL, 2016 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| 3 January | Hyderabad Hunters | 3-2 | Bengaluru Topguns |
| 5 January | Mumbai Rockets | 4-3 | Bengaluru Topguns |
| 6 January | Awadhe Warriors | 4-1 | Bengaluru Topguns |
| 8 January | Delhi Dashers | 5-2 | Bengaluru Topguns |
| 13 January | Chennai Smashers | 4-1 | Bengaluru Topguns |
Final PBL standings, 2016 :
| Pos. | Teams | MP | RMW | TMW | TML | Pts. |
| 1 | Delhi Dashers (C) | 25 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Awadhe Warriors | 25 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | Chennai Smashers | 25 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 4 | Mumbai Rockets (R) | 25 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| 5 | Hyderabad Hunters | 25 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 6 | Bengaluru Topguns | 25 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
* Each tie (MP) will have five matches each. Regular Match Win (RMW) = 1 point, Trump Match Win (TMW) = 2 points, Trump Match Lost (TML) = -1 point

### Premier Badminton League, 2017

The second edition of the Premier Badminton League featured 6 teams and was held in January 2017. The Bengaluru Topguns were officially renamed to Bengaluru Blasters following a transfer in ownership. The Blasters finished the season at 5th place, recording 14 points in 5 ties. The Bengaluru Blasters recorded their first and only victory of that season in their first match against the Delhi Acers. The Chennai Smashers finished as champions of the second edition of the PBL.
Bengaluru Blasters in PBL, 2017 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| 1 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 4-3 | Delhi Acers |
| 3 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 0-5 | Chennai Smashers |
| 7 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 3-4 | Hyderabad Hunters |
| 8 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 1-4 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 9 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 3-4 | Awadhe Warriors |
Final PBL Standings, 2017 :
| Team | TP | RMW | TMW | TML | Pts. |
| Awadhe Warriors | 5 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 21 |
| Mumbai Rockets (RU) | 5 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 19 |
| Chennai Smashers (C) | 5 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 18 |
| Hyderabad Hunters | 5 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Bengaluru Blasters | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Delhi Acers | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
* Each tie (MP) will have five matches each. Regular Match Win (RMW) = 1 point, Trump Match Win (TMW) = 2 points, Trump Match Lost (TML) = -1 point

### Premier Badminton League, 2017-18

The third edition of the Premier Badminton League saw the participation of eight teams, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The Bengaluru Blasters finished as runners-up for the season, facing a defeat in the final against the Hyderabad Hunters. The Bengaluru Blasters finished at fourth in the league stage, recording a total of 14 points.
The Blasters recorded two consecutive wins in their first two games against the Delhi Dashers and the Mumbai Rockets respectively and then went on to lose their next three games, ending their league stage campaign with a defeat against the Hyderabad Hunters. A semi-final victory against the Ahmedabad Smash Masters saw the Bengaluru franchise advance into the final for the first time in their history. The Bengaluru Blasters faced defeat in the final against the Hyderabad Hunters.
Bengaluru Blasters in PBL, 2017-18 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| 28 December | Delhi Dashers | 2 - 5 | Bengaluru Blasters |
| 01 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 6 - (-1) | Mumbai Rockets |
| 05 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 2 - 3 | North Eastern Warriors |
| 08 January | Chennai Smashers | 3 - 2 | Bengaluru Blasters |
| 11 January | Hyderabad Hunters | 6 - (-1) | Bengaluru Blasters |
| Semi-Final ||||
| 13 January | Bengaluru Blasters | 4 - 3 | Ahmedabad Smash Masters |
| Final ||||
| 14 January | Hyderabad Hunters | 4 - 3 | Bengaluru Blasters |
Final PBL Standings, 2017-18 :
| Team | TP | RMW | RML | TMW | TML | Pts. |
| Hyderabad Hunters (C) | 5 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| Ahmedabad Smash Masters | 5 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Delhi Dashers | 5 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Bengaluru Blasters (R) | 5 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| Awadhe Warriors | 5 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| Chennai Smashers | 5 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| North Eastern Warriors | 5 | 5 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
| Mumbai Rockets | 5 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 10 |

### Premier Badminton League, 2018-19

The fourth edition of the Premier Badminton League featured nine teams with the Pune 7 Aces joining as a new team that season. The Bengaluru Blasters were officially renamed as the Bengaluru Raptors for the season.
After losing the first game of the season against the Ahmedabad Smash Masters, the Raptors managed to win all of their remaining games, going on to defeat the Awadhe Warriors in the semi-final and the Mumbai Rockets in the final to record their maiden Premier Badminton League title.
Bengaluru Raptors in PBL, 2018-19 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| 28 December | Ahmedabad Smash Masters | 4 – 3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 30 December | Pune 7 Aces | 3 – 4 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 02 January | Delhi Dashers | 1 – 2 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 05 January | Bengaluru Raptors | 4 – 3 | North Eastern Warriors |
| 08 January | Bengaluru Raptors | 5 – 0 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 10 January | Bengaluru Raptors | 3 – 2 | Chennai Smashers |
| Semi-Final ||||
| 11 January | Awadhe Warriors | 2 – 4 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| Final ||||
| 13 January | Bengaluru Raptors | 4 – 3 | Mumbai Rockets |
Final PBL Standings, 2018-19 :
| Team | MP | RMW | RML | TMW | TML | Pts. |
| Awadhe Warriors | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
| Hyderabad Hunters | 30 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 24 |
| Bengaluru Raptors (C) | 30 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 21 |
| Mumbai Rockets (R) | 30 | 13 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 19 |
| Pune 7 Aces | 30 | 8 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 17 |
| Chennai Smashers | 30 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| Ahmedabad Smash Masters | 30 | 7 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 13 |
| North Eastern Warriors | 30 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| Delhi Dashers | 30 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 6 |

### Premier Badminton League, 2020

The fifth edition of the Premier Badminton League featured seven competing teams. The Bengaluru Raptors defeated the Northeastern Warriors in the final to become the first team to win consecutive titles in the competition's history. They recorded 22 points from 6 ties, and finished second in the points table at the end of the league stage.
The Raptors faced three consecutive defeats in their first three games but managed to turn things around and qualify for the semi-final with victories over the Hyderabad Hunters, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors without losing a single match in either of the ties.
Bengaluru Raptors in PBL, 2020 :
| Date | | Score | |
| League Stage ||||
| 21 January | Northeastern Warriors | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 24 January | Chennai Superstarz | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 27 January | Pune 7 Aces | 4–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 31 January | Hyderabad Hunters | 0–3 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| 31 January | Bengaluru Raptors | 5–0 | Mumbai Rockets |
| 6 February | Bengaluru Raptors | 5–0 | Awadhe Warriors |
| Semi-Final ||||
| 8 February | Pune 7 Aces | 3–4 | Bengaluru Raptors |
| Final ||||
| 9 February | Northeastern Warriors | 2–4 | Bengaluru Raptors |
Final PBL Standings, 2020 :
| Rank | Team | MP | RMW | RML | TMW | TML | Pts. |
| 1 | Northeastern Warriors (R) | 30 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| 2 | Bengaluru Raptors (C) | 30 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| 3 | Chennai Superstarz | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 22 |
| 4 | Pune 7 Aces | 30 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| 5 | Awadhe Warriors | 30 | 11 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 | Hyderabad Hunters | 30 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 7 | Mumbai Rockets | 30 | 4 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 10 |

## Overall season summary

| 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 |

## Team roster, 2020

Source:
| Coach | Arvind Bhat |
| Domestic | Ansal Yadav |
| Domestic | Arun George |
| Domestic | B. Sai Praneeth (C) |
| Domestic | Medha Shashidharan |
| Overseas | Tai Tzu-ying |
| Overseas | Brice Leverdez |
| Overseas | Rian Agung Saputro |
| Overseas | Chan Peng Soon |
| Overseas | Eom Hye-won |

## Honours

Premier Badminton League, 2017-18
* Runners-up
Premier Badminton League, 2018-19
* Champions
Premier Badminton League, 2020
* Champions