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By Ishaan Kapoor — 6 August 2026 — 3 min read

India Prepares for Badminton World Championships

The BWF World Badminton Championships 2026 are set to take place at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, running from August 17 to 23. This event marks the return of the World Championships to India after a 17-year period, with the last instance being held in Hyderabad in 2009. India will feature two entries in each of the five badminton disciplines, with at least one seeded contender in four of these categories.

Among the seeded Indian players, former champion PV Sindhu has been named the ninth seed in the women’s singles event. Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, has a notable history at the World Championships, having secured a gold medal in 2019, along with two silver medals and two bronze medals. Her past successes have often occurred when she was not the top seed, a trend that continues with her current seeding.

In the men’s doubles category, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will be India’s highest-seeded entry, receiving the fifth seed. As per the 64-pair doubles draw, all seeded pairs, including Rankireddy and Shetty, will receive a first-round bye in the competition.

Key Indian Players and Their Draws

In the men’s singles, former world championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen is seeded 14th. Sen is scheduled to compete against Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria in his opening match. Should he advance past the first two rounds, Sen could potentially face the 2023 champion, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, in the third round. Pulella Gopichand, the chief national coach of the Indian team, noted that the men’s singles draw presents a tough challenge, with several strong competitors.

Another Indian shuttler, Ayush Shetty, will face a significant challenge in the first round of the men’s singles. He is set to play against Shi Yuqi of China, who is the top seed and defending world champion. Shetty previously won a bronze medal in the boys’ singles at the 2023 World Junior Championships and secured a silver medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year. His previous encounters with Yuqi include losses at the 2026 Malaysia Open and the 2025 Indonesia Masters. Gopichand expressed optimism about Shetty’s chances, suggesting that facing Yuqi in the first round might be more advantageous than in later stages.

In the mixed doubles, Dhruv Kapila and Olympian Tanisha Crasto are the 15th seeds. Like the men’s doubles seeded pairs, Kapila and Crasto will also receive a first-round bye. India will also have two pairs in the women’s doubles field, with Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand leading the expectations as unseeded contenders.

Path to Potential Medals

For PV Sindhu, her journey through the tournament could see her facing challenging opponents. Placed in the top half of the draw, she might encounter third seed Wang Zhi Yi in the Round of 16, followed by a potential match against sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani in the quarter-finals. A prospective semi-final clash against top seed An Se Young is also a possibility. Sindhu will begin her campaign against Sophia Noble of Ireland.

Other Indian players in the first round include Unnati Hooda against Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar in women’s singles. In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will play against Scott Guildea and Paul Reynolds of Ireland. In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand are scheduled to face Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain, while Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi will compete against Nikol Carulla and Carmen Maria Jimenez of Spain. The mixed doubles pair of Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde will play against Jonathan Bing Tsan Lai and Crystal Lai of Canada.

The tournament is scheduled to commence on August 17.

Source: newsonair.gov.in