With the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals now over, Indian badminton players are quickly turning their attention towards an intense international calendar that includes the World Championships in August and the Asian Games in September.
The immediate challenge begins with the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament in Bangkok starting Tuesday, where several members of India’s Thomas Cup bronze medal-winning squad will be in action.
A major point of interest will be the return of Lakshya Sen, who had suffered an elbow injury during India’s quarterfinal clash at the Thomas Cup in Denmark and subsequently missed the semifinal defeat to France. There had been uncertainty surrounding his fitness and participation, but the Badminton Association of India confirmed that the World No. 11 has recovered sufficiently to compete.
Lakshya, seeded seventh in the tournament, will begin his campaign against Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh. The Indian has dominated their previous meetings with a 5-0 head-to-head record. However, a potential quarterfinal clash against defending champion and home favourite Kunlavut Vitidsarn could prove to be a major test.
Young Indian talent Ayush Shetty will also attract attention after his impressive performances recently, including a silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships and his Thomas Cup debut. Ayush faces a difficult opening-round match against Japan’s sixth-seeded Kodai Naraoka.
Another Indian youngster, Tharun Mannepalli, takes on Japanese player Koki Watanabe. If both Indians progress, an all-Indian second-round clash could be on the cards. Top seed and World No. 1 Shi Yuqi is placed in the same section of the draw.
Former World Championships silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth is set for a high-profile first-round encounter against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, revisiting their famous World Championships final from five years ago.
In women’s singles, the spotlight will be on two-time Olympic medallist P. V. Sindhu, who continues her search for a first title since winning the Syed Modi International in 2024. Sindhu, seeded sixth, opens against Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong and could later face top-seeded Japanese star Akane Yamaguchi in the quarterfinals.
India’s women’s contingent also includes rising names such as Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, Malvika Bansod and Anmol Kharb. Anmol faces one of the toughest draws in the tournament as she takes on World No. 2 Chen Yufei in the opening round.
In men’s doubles, top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty begin their campaign against Indonesia’s Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana. The Indian pair last won the Thailand Open title in 2024 and will look to rediscover that form ahead of the season’s bigger challenges.
India will also be represented in mixed doubles and women’s doubles as the country’s shuttlers continue preparations for a crucial year in international badminton.
