Badminton Asia C'ships: Satwik-Chirag out; Sindhu, Lakshya to lead

Star men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 due to injury. PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will now spearhead the Indian challenge in Ningbo, China, from Tuesday.

India's campaign at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 suffered a setback with the withdrawal of star men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty due to a shoulder injury to Satwik, even as top singles shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen gear up to spearhead the country's challenge in Ningbo, China, from Tuesday. The continental meet, being held in Ningbo for the third consecutive time, will feature a strong Indian contingent across categories despite the late withdrawal of the Asian Games champions in men's doubles, according to Olympics.com.

PV Sindhu's Return to Action

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist and former world champion, will mark her return to competitive badminton for the first time since her quarter-final appearance at the Indonesia Masters in January. The 30-year-old had earlier pulled out of the All England Open despite regaining fitness, making her comeback in Ningbo a key development for India's medal hopes.

Men's Singles Contingent in Top Form

In men's singles, Lakshya enters the tournament in red-hot form after finishing runner-up at the All England Open. The 24-year-old will be joined by experienced campaigners HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth, both former world championship medallists, along with rising talent Ayush Shetty.

India's Doubles Challenge and History

India's best-ever performances at the Badminton Asia Championships include two gold medals -- Dinesh Khanna in men's singles (1965) and the Satwik-Chirag duo in men's doubles (2023). In the absence of the top-ranked pair, the men's doubles challenge will be led by Hariharan Amsakarunan-M R Arjun and Pruthvi K R-Sai Pratheek K.

Sindhu will headline the women's singles draw, where she will be accompanied by Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda and promising youngster Tanvi Sharma. In women's doubles, India will field three pairs following the withdrawal of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand.

Meanwhile, the mixed doubles campaign will be led by Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who were India's top performers last year with a quarter-final finish. They will be supported by Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani, and Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh.

With a mix of seasoned names and emerging players, India will look to add to its modest medal tally at the prestigious continental event.

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. (ANI)

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