Author: Abhishek Mishra

Indian campaign at Indonesia Masters 2026 came to a disappointing and controversial end on Friday in Jakarta in the quarterfinals. After a rare and heated officiating row, PV Sindhu lost against her Chinese opponent. Lakshya Sen lost in straight games. Facing top seed Chen Yu Fei, Sindhu battled not just with her precise half-court smashes and deft returns, but also a series of frustrating calls from the chair umpire. The Indian lost 13-21, 17-21. Sindhu took to social media to express her disappointment. She was dignified yet firm. “Every now and then, the roar finds its way back,” she said.…

At the iconic Istora Senayan in Jakarta, the opening round of the Indonesia Masters was a mixed bag of sorts for the Indian contingent. While veterans PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth along with Lakshya Sen and Anmol Kharb reached the pre-quarterfinals, the day also saw the exit of several young prospects and doubles pairs. Former world No. 1 Srikanth showcased his vintage version to beat Japan’s world No. 22, Koki Watanabe in a nail-biting marathon, winning 21-15, 21-23, 24-22 in 72 minutes. Srikanth held his nerves during the high-octane closing rallies of the decider to seal the match. Joining him in…

For pole vaulters in the country, the biggest challenge is not to compete but to travel. Carrying their expensive poles and other gears to tournaments and returning home safely with poles is a logistical nightmare. 20-year-old Dev Meena, who broke his own national record several times in 2025, Kuldeep Yadav, his teammate, Ghanshyam Yadav, the coach, and some young athletes, were returning from Mangaluru to Bhopal after competing in the All India University Games in Mangaluru but at Panvel station suffered harrasment by a railway offical for carrying his sports equipment . In that tournament, Kuldeep ended up clinching the…

The India Open 2026 at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi concluded on Sunday. The S750 event was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the Badminton Association of India (BAI) ahead of the BWF World Championshipis but the event was in the news for all the wrong reasons. While the event showcased world-class badminton action enjoyed by the badminton fans and offered better viewing experience as the tournament moved to IGI Stadium from smaller KD Jadhav stadium, but the headlines were dominated by the unexpected presence of monkey, and pigeon droppings rather than the dire state of Indian badminton…

The India Open 2026 campaign for the host country came to an end at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Friday. India’s last standing shuttler Lakshya Sen fell in a tightly-contested quarterfinal against his familiar foe, Lin Chun Yi of Chinese Taipei. Egged on by an enthusiastic crowd, the 25-year-old fought gallantly but lost 21-17, 13-21, 18-21 in a thriller that lasted 68 minutes. This extends the drought of seeing an Indian champion since the tournament was upgraded to Super 750 status in 2023. Lin, a left-hander, maintained his all-win record against Sen, extending it to 4-0. Sen had lost to…

It turned out to be a day of narrow misses for the home shuttlers at India Open 2026. There were a number of high-octane clashes. HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth, Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty fought three games, but none of them advanced. Lakshya Sen was the only Indian to reach the quarterfinals of this Super 750 event. Sen beat Kenta Nishimoto to keep Indian hopes alive. He edged the Japanese 21-19, 21-10. Initial phase of the first game saw Nishimoto force Lakshya into a defensive corner using his attacking game and the drift. He denied the Indian chance…

It was a mixed bag of sorts for the home crowd at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Day 2 of India Open 2026. PV Sindhu’s journey ended in the Round of 32. Other senior campaigners like Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy progressed to the next round. Malvika Bansod registered a crucial victory on her comeback after a prolonged injury lay-off, while the 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma showed signs of brilliance against the Chinese world No. 2, before going down in a thrilling match. The men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a walkover from USA’s Chen Zhi Yi and…

The BWF World Tour moves to India as the capital city, New Delhi, is all set to host the India Open 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The $950,000 event will also serve as a rehearsal for all participating shuttlers, with the BWF World Championships scheduled to be held at the same venue in August. The tournament will kick off on January 13, with the finals slated for January 18. The Super 750 showpiece badminton event offers Indian shuttlers a chance to prove their mettle in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. Lakshya Sen in men’s singles and Satwiksairaj…

Returning to the court after a three month long injury layoff due to foot injury sustained after China Masters 2025 in October, for PV Sindhu it was a good start to the season 2026 as she enjoyed the deep run at the Malaysia Open 2026. The two-time Olympic medalist unleashed her best in the season opener and gave spirited performances in Kuala Lumpur showing glimpses of her vintage gameplay throughout the tournament. The 30-year-old went down against China’s World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi in straight games, 16-21, 15-21, in the semi-final, capping off her Malaysia Open 2026 journey. Reflecting…

Kuala Lumpur’s Axiata Arena witnessed the resurgence of 30-year-old PV Sindhu’s career. The Indian badminton ace continued her blistering form at the Malaysia Open 2026, defeating her longtime rival, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, to march into the semifinals. Meanwhile, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out, ending their campaign at the Super 1000 event in the quarterfinals against Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Fikri. Returning from an injury layoff – a foot injury that sidelined her for much of late 2025 – Sindhu looked sharper and more focused than the previous year, starting the season on a high note. Against Japan’s…