Badminton Asia Team Championships: Indian women brace for Sindhu-less title defence as men target podium

India’s women face a stern challenge in their title defence at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, set to begin in Qingdao, China, on Tuesday, following the withdrawal of talisman PV Sindhu, while the men will rely on a battle-hardened core to push for a podium finish.

The Indian women had created history by winning their maiden team gold in the previous edition in Malaysia, but Sindhu’s absence due to a niggle has significantly dented their prospects this time.

With the two-time Olympic medallist sidelined, the onus now shifts to a young group led by Tanvi Sharma. The 17-year-old from Punjab was part of the gold-winning squad in 2024, although she did not feature in any matches at that time.

Over the past two years, Tanvi has established herself as a rising force in women’s singles, highlighted by a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Guwahati and a runner-up finish at the US Open Super 300.

She has enjoyed an encouraging start to the season, stretching World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi and World No. 9 Tomoka Miyazaki to three games at the India Open and Indonesia Masters, underlining her ability to compete at the highest level.

Eighteen-year-old Unnati Hooda also arrives in strong form after a productive 2025 season that saw her climb to a career-best world ranking of No. 23 and register a notable win over Sindhu at the China Open. The youngest Indian to claim a BWF Super 100 title, Unnati capped the year with victory at the Odisha Masters.

Malvika Bansod and Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj will share the remaining singles responsibilities, while Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will lead the doubles effort. The pair defended their Syed Modi International title in December and will be supported by Priya Konjengbam, Shruti Mishra and Tanisha Crasto.

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India will open its women’s campaign against Myanmar on Wednesday before taking on Thailand in Group Y.

The men’s team, bronze medallists in 2016 and 2020, appears better placed with a blend of experience and depth. The squad retains the core that clinched the historic Thomas Cup gold in 2022, with expectations firmly placed on that group to deliver again.

World No. 13 Lakshya Sen will lead the side, which also includes former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth and experienced HS Prannoy — all three being world championship medallists.

Lakshya has shown good form, having won the Australian Open last year and reached the final of the Hong Kong Open. Srikanth also made the finals at the Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi International, while Prannoy has struggled with consistency in recent months.

Youngsters Ayush Shetty, the US Open Super 300 champion last year, and Tharun Mannepalli will provide additional options in singles.

In doubles, the focus will once again be on two-time world championships bronze medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

The former world No. 1 pair has had a modest start to the season, managing a quarterfinal and a round-of-16 finish at the Malaysia Open and India Open, and will be eager to regain momentum. Sai Pratheek K, Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy and Hariharan Amsakarunan complete the doubles lineup.

Drawn in Group C, the men will begin their campaign against Singapore on Wednesday before facing a tougher test against Japan.

With the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, the women will look to rise above the absence of Sindhu, while the men aim to quickly find rhythm and turn their experience into a podium finish at the biennial continental event.

Published on Feb 02, 2026