India suffered a major blow ahead of the Badminton Asia Championships as the country’s top men’s doubles pairing, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, pulled out of the tournament, scheduled to be held from April 7 to 11 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Ningbo, China.
India’s hopes will now hinge on Lakshya Sen, who has been in fiery form after his runner-up finish at the All England Open, and PV Sindhu, who will make a comeback after missing the Birmingham event. Sindhu was stranded in Dubai amid the US-Israel’s war against Iran last month. The mental toll of the situation forced her to take a break from the BWF World Tour, causing her to miss the European leg. She also skipped the Swiss Open to focus on her recovery.
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Satwik and Chirag – who won the title in 2023 – will sit out this year’s tournament as Satwik has not yet recovered from his injury.
“Satwik still has some pain, so they won’t be playing this week,” coach Tan Kim Her was quoted as saying by PTI. The duo had earlier pulled out of the Swiss Open just before their quarterfinal clash due to the recurring injury in Satwik’s right shoulder, highlighting the ongoing challenge the Indian star faces in maintaining fitness.
Onus on Lakshya, Sindhu
The withdrawal shifts the spotlight firmly onto India’s singles players, Lakshya and the two-time Olympic medalist Sindhu.
No Indian player has won the singles title at the tournament in the last 61 years. Dinesh Khanna remains the only Indian to have won the men’s singles gold, achieving the feat in 1965. Lakshya will be keen to end the drought, especially after beating World No. 2 Shi Yuqi and World No. 7 Li Shifeng of China at the All England Open. He will open his campaign against Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Sindhu will begin her campaign against Malaysia’s Wong Ling Ching.
India’s men’s singles contingent is further strengthened by HS Prannoy, who will face a qualifier after returning from a shoulder injury. Kidambi Srikanth will take on Singapore’s eighth seed Loh Kean Yew, while US Open champion Ayush Shetty faces China’s fifth seed Shifeng.
Chance for youngsters to shine
In women’s singles, apart from Sindhu, India will be represented by Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, and Malvika Bansod. Unnati will meet Thailand’s Supanida Katethong, Tanvi Sharma faces Malaysia’s K. Letshanaa, and Malvika Bansod will take on Thailand’s Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
With Satwik-Chirag giving the continental showpiece a miss, India will be represented in men’s doubles by Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, who clinched back-to-back titles at the 2025 Al Ain Masters Super 100 and 2025 Turkiye International Challenge. They will face top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae of South Korea. P. Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. will play Japan’s Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi.
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In women’s doubles, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam will be up against Thailand’s Hathaithip Mijad and N. Tungkasatan, while the country’s top duo, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela, take on China’s Luo Yi and Wang Ting Ge. Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra await a qualifier.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani will play Malaysia’s eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie. Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh face another Malaysian pair, Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, while Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto meet Thailand’s P. Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard.
(With PTI inputs)
