Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and Paris 2024 semi-finalist Lakshya Sen will lead the Indian medal charge at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026, scheduled to start in Ningbo, the People’s Republic of China, from Tuesday.
The 2026 Badminton Asia Championships is the third consecutive time that the continental meet is being held in Ningbo.
Indian badminton players have been crowned Asian champions twice to date. Dinesh Khanna was the men’s singles champion way back in 1965, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy–Chirag Shetty bagged the men’s doubles honours in 2023.
Shuttlers from the country have also bagged multiple bronze medals in the competition.
Sat-Chi were scheduled to play this edition but pulled out of the tournament at the last moment due to a shoulder injury to Satwik.
Hariharan Amsakarunan-MR Arjun and Pruthvi K R-Sai Pratheek K will be the two-front Indian challenge in men’s doubles in Ningbo.
Former world champion PV Sindhu, 13th in the women’s singles badminton rankings, will be the top Indian in the women’s singles draw.
Sindhu, Asian Championships bronze medallist from 2014 and 2022, will be returning to competitive action for the first time since her quarter-final run at the Indonesia Masters in January.
The 30-year-old was set for a return at the All England Open last month after recovering from injury, but was forced to shelve her plans.
Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda and the up-and-coming Tanvi Sharma will keep Sindhu company in the women’s draw.
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya Sen will head into the Ningbo meet on the back of a runner-up finish at the All England Open. The 24-year-old Sen is a junior Asian champion from 2018.
World championships medallists HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth are also in action alongside Ayush Shetty, last year’s US Open champion.
The duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand was set to headline the Indian challenge in women’s doubles before pulling out. There will, however, be three Indian teams in contention in the bracket.
Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto are the top draws for the country in mixed doubles.
Castro and Kapila were the only Indians who made the quarter-finals at last year’s Badminton Asia Championships.
Badminton Asia Championships 2026 badminton: India squad
- Men’s singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy
- Men’s doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan-M R Arjun, Pruthvi K R-Sai Pratheek K
- Women’s singles: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma
- Women’s doubles: Kavipriya Selvam-Simran Singhi, Priya Konjengbam-Shruti Mishra, Ashwini Bhat K-S Gautam
- Mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani, Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/badminton-asia-championships-2026-india-preview
