Awadhe Warriors’ Sania Nehwal was ruled out of the third Premier Badminton League opener against Chennai Smashers on Saturday in Guwahati as she is yet to recover from an ankle injury on the right leg.

Awadhe coach Anup Sridhar, however, was hopeful Saina will play at the Siri Fort Sports Complex in New Delhi for their second match against North East Warriors on December 30.

Sridhar, who along with Siyadath Ullah are part of the Awadhe coaching setup, said in a statement on Saturday: “Saina is recovering from a small ankle issue which she had developed few weeks back. She is recovering well and we are expecting her to be fully fit for the next match.”

Saina’s absence on the inaugural day meant that her high-voltage clash with Chennai Smashers’ PV Sindhu could not take place. Warriors and reigning champions Smashers are expected to progress to the semi-final stage. As a result of Saina’s injury, Sindhu will be facing Sai Uttejitha Rao of Awadhe Warriors in the last match of the tie, which also happens to be a trump match for the Smashers.