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 famously clinched the men’s singles title in 2022, when the tournament was still a Super 500 event. However, since its upgrade to S750 status in 2023, the titles have remained out of reach for Indian shuttlers.
Men’s Singles
Indian fans will witness a domestic clash right from the start as India’s No. 1, Lakshya, begins his campaign against rising star Ayush Shetty. The match means the exit of one of India’s biggest hopes in the opening round, while the winner will face a tough challenge from Taiwan’s World No. 6, Chou Tien-Chen, or Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto in the Round of 16.
The road ahead is equally challenging for veterans Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy. Srikanth is pitted against Taiwan’s World No. 12, Lin Chun-Yi, while Prannoy, who earned a place in the main draw following the withdrawal of previous edition winner Viktor Axelsen, will face a stern test from Hong Kong’s Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Women’s Singles
PV Sindhu, who started her season on a high note with a semi-final finish at the Malaysia Open last week, will enter the tournament with a point to prove. The former world champion faces Vietnam’s Nguyen Thuy Linh, against whom she lost twice last year. The Indian will look to overturn those results in front of the home crowd.
Joining her will be Malvika Bansod, who is still trying to rediscover her rhythm after returning from injury. She will face Taiwan’s Pai Yu Po.
Men’s Doubles
India’s most realistic chance to end the title drought rests on the shoulders of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Seeded third in the tournament, they will take on the USA’s Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith in the first round.
They will be joined by A Hariharan and MR Arjun, who face a challenging opening round against Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi.
Women’s Doubles
Syed Modi International 2025 champions Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will lead India’s charge against Thailand’s Ornnicha Jongsathapornparn and Sukitta Suwachai.
Shruti Mishra and Priya Konjengbam will face Hong Kong’s Lui Lok Lok and Tsang Hiu Yan, while Rituparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda will take on Japan’s Nanako Hara and Riko Kiyose.
Gayatri Rawat and Mansa Rawat are drawn against China’s fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian, while Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi are pitted against Malaysia’s second-seeded pair, Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.
Mixed Doubles
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto will face a tough challenge from Thailand’s Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Sapsiree Taerattanachai, while Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Gadde take on Germany’s Marvin Seidel and Thuc Phuong Nguyen.
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh will meet Japan’s Yuichi Shimogami and Sayaka Hobara, while Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K will round off India’s challenge against Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Nami Matsuyama.
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