NEW DELHI: The India Open has always carried a sense of promise for Indian badminton. This year, that promise is literally reinforced as the tournament moves into the iconic badminton hall of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.Go beyond the border with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It is the same venue where the sport was held during the 1982 Asian Games. The spotlight in men’s singles immediately falls on an all-India first round battle between Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty, an encounter that pits pedigree against momentum.
The presence of PV Sindhu gives the tournament its familiar center of gravity. The two-time Olympic medalist and 2017 India Open champion starts against Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh, feeling confident after a semi-final performance at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 last week.In the same half, Malvika Bansod will test herself against Chinese Taipei’s Pai Yu Po. Kidambi Srikanth, the 2015 champion, also returns with something to prove. After reaching the finals at last year’s Malaysia Masters Super 500 and Syed Modi International, he will start against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi in a match that could set the tone for his season.
Will Satwik and Chirag successfully defend their titles at the India Open?
India’s strongest hopes of a medal once again rest heavily on Satwik and Chirag. The men’s doubles have always been on the business side of the tournament, reaching two finals in the past four editions and winning the title in 2022. Their 2025 season underlined their elite status – runner-up at the Hong Kong Open and China Masters, bronze at the World Championships and a knockout stage at the World Tour Finals – even though the Malaysia Open ended in a quarter-final last week.
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