For the primary time, the India Open — a premier Tremendous 750 badminton event — will shift venues, shifting lower than 500 meters from the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium to the bigger Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The transfer is important not merely for its scale, however for its timing: the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium can even host the World Championships in August.
The India Open is a marquee occasion in its personal proper, with a storyline that stands unbiased of what lies forward later within the yr. Nonetheless, staging the January event on the World Championships venue provides clear added worth. It permits Indian shuttlers — and the sphere at giant — an early alternative to familiarize themselves with the circumstances, turning this week’s competitors into each a high-stakes contest and a useful gown rehearsal six months forward of the game’s largest occasion, which returns to India after 16 years.
The USD 950,000 India Open will probably be performed from January 13 to 18. Dwell streaming of the event in India will probably be obtainable on the BWF YouTube channel, whereas Eurosport will present tv protection.
Photos of the badminton enviornment on the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium have already been doing the rounds on social media, with followers and gamers alike praising the aesthetics and the dimensions of the venue. As many as 4 courts will probably be in use on the opening day of the Tremendous 750 occasion as India prepares to welcome the world to a badminton spectacle.
“The stadium is far greater. I performed right here round 15 years in the past. The earlier stadium was a lot smaller,” mentioned Chirag Shetty on Monday, providing perception into the transition gamers are present process this week. “It takes some time to get used to the circumstances. The air con shouldn’t be on, so there should not be a lot drift. However when you elevate the shuttle excessive, judging its size generally is a little tough.”
LAKSHYA VS AYUSH
The spotlight of the opening day would be the conflict between Lakshya Sen and his junior coaching associate Ayush Shetty, who stands 6ft 5in tall.. Lakshya, the 2022 champion, faces a stern check towards the 20-year-old, who’s extensively considered one of many brightest prospects in Indian badminton.
Whereas Lakshya’s season started on a disappointing notice with an early exit in Malaysia final week, Ayush made headlines by gorgeous former world No. 2 Lee Zii Jia within the opening spherical of his Tremendous 1000 debut, earlier than pushing world No. 1 Shi Yuqi to a few video games.
It guarantees to be a troublesome contest for the house crowd, with one in all their favorites set to pack his baggage on the finish of Tuesday’s match. Nonetheless, it additionally presents a useful alternative for the 2 gamers — who prepare on the similar Heart for Excellence in Bengaluru — to stake bragging rights.
Ayush, who’s making his India Open debut, is properly conscious of the magnitude of the problem.
“Taking part in Lakshya within the first spherical is certainly an enormous problem,” he mentioned at a packed press convention in Delhi on Monday, dealing with the highlight on the highest degree for the primary time. “He has a variety of expertise at this degree, and for me it is an incredible alternative to check myself proper firstly of the event, particularly in my debut on the India Open.”
Notice: Lakshya Sen vs Ayush Shetty will probably be performed on Courtroom 2 on Tuesday. The match won’t begin earlier than 3 pm IST.
The pair have met twice on the circuit, with Lakshya profitable on each events. On the Hong Kong Open in September, Ayush stretched his senior compatriot to a few video games. Two months later, he suffered a straight-games defeat on the Australian Open, a event Lakshya went on to win en path to breaking again into the highest 15.
Lakshya, now 23, will probably be eager to make a press release and construct on the momentum he gathered within the latter half of 2025. Standing in his means, nonetheless, is a fearless teen who seems unfazed by the event.
A smash-heavy duel between two of India’s most enjoyable males’s singles prospects might need been anticipated later within the week, however as curtain-raisers go, this one guarantees to be a gripping begin to the India Open.
SINDHU EYES CONSISTENCY
Additionally below the highlight is PV Sindhu, who returns to the event with renewed vigor after reaching the semi-finals of the season-opening Malaysia Open final week. The world no. 18, who has indicated that she’s going to fastidiously plan her schedule this yr in a bid to remain injury-free, will probably be desirous to make a robust assertion on residence soil.
Coming off an harm lay-off, Sindhu would have taken confidence from her run to the final 4 in Kuala Lumpur. Match and firing, the two-time Olympic medalist will start her marketing campaign towards Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh. Sindhu misplaced to the world no. 22 twice final yr, however with the backing of the house crowd, she will probably be hoping for a constructive begin.
WATCH OUT FOR TANVI
Whereas Malavika Bansod can even function within the ladies’s singles draw, a lot of the eye will probably be on 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma, who acquired a late entry following the withdrawals of Chen Yufei and Akane Yamaguchi as a consequence of harm.
Tanvi, who trains below Sindhu’s former coach Park Tae Sang, introduced herself in 2025 by profitable silver on the World Junior Championships, turning into the primary Indian since Saina Nehwal to medal on the occasion. Half Sindhu and half Saina in fashion, Tanvi will probably be making her Tremendous 750 debut towards a formidable opponent in world No. 2 Wang Zhiyi, who defeated Sindhu within the Malaysia Open semi-final final week. Whatever the outcome, it guarantees to be a useful studying expertise for {the teenager}.
Defending champion An Se-young, contemporary from claiming her fifth successive title in Malaysia, will start her marketing campaign on Wednesday. In the meantime, Shi Yuqi has withdrawn from the event as a consequence of a niggle.
His absence has opened the door for 25-year-old Tharun Mannepalli, who has been promoted to the principle draw. Tharun will open his marketing campaign towards Kidambi Srikanth. Curiously, Tharun holds a 2–0 head-to-head benefit over Srikanth, having overwhelmed him in straight video games on each events in 2025.
INDIAN STARS IN ACTION AT INDIA OPEN 2026
Males’s singles: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Tharun Mannepalli.
Males’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun/Hariharan Amsakarunan.
Girls’s singles: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Tanvi Sharma.
Girls’s doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Rutaparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda, Gayatri Rawat/Mansa Rawat, Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra, Kavipriya Selvam/Simran Singhi, Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam.
Blended doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh, Dhruv Rawat/Maneesha Okay.
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