India's men's badminton team began the Asian Games 2026 campaign with a win against Bangladesh and a place in the quarterfinals in Aichi-Nagoya. The Indian team will now face hosts Japan in the last-eight stage on September 22 and a win there is guaranteed to win a medal in the men's team event. The quarterfinal will be much tougher than the first round win in India.
The Indian men's team entered the competition as the silver medallists from the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou and wasted little time in showing its strength. India took the tie in Bangladesh after winning all three men's singles matches, so neither of the country's doubles combinations had to go on the court.
Lakshya Sen gave India the perfect start with a dominant performance against Jaman Ayman Ibn. The Indian shuttler won 21-4, 21-12 to give India a 1-0 lead and a good start to the match. Lakshya's straight-game performance immediately put Bangladesh under pressure and India took a good start to the match.
Ayush Shetty then extended India's advantage in the second men's singles match. Shetty defeated Gourab Singha 21-4, 21-13, and India was just one win away from making it a sweep. Kidambi Srikanth followed up with Jumar Al-Amin 21-15, 21-9 to complete India's 3-0 victory.
The result also meant India's best men's doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty did not need to play. MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, the second-choice pair, also remained on the sidelines. India's singles victories in straight games meant they were able to finish the tie without calling on the doubles strength.
Japan is another entirely different game in the quarterfinal, however. Japan came into the competition with a good team and will also have the advantage of playing in familiar places. The men's badminton team event is held at Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium for the men's badminton team competition at the Municipal Gymnasium in Ichinomiya City, and the quarterfinal stage is on September 22.
Japan has a wide variety of options in singles and doubles. Kodai Naraoka, Kenta Nishimoto and Yushi Tanaka have depth in singles, while Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi have great experience and quality in men's doubles. Koki Watanabe and Yuta Watanabe also add even more depth to Japan's options and the quarterfinal will be an interesting one for our team.
India, however, has an incredibly well-rounded squad. Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth are already capable of performing in the team, and Satwik and Chirag are one of the most familiar doubles combinations in the Indian setup. MR Arjun, Hariharan Amsakarunan and other players can also work in if required. India's 2026 men's squad includes Lakshya, Ayush, Srikanth, HS Prannoy, Satwik, Chirag, Arjun, Hariharan and Dhruv Kapila.
The India-Japan quarterfinal also has a special significance as the Indian men's team will need to follow up its silver medal performance in Hangzhou. India had been on the silver medal podium at the previous edition in the men's team event and another medal would give the side its second consecutive Asian Games podium finish in the discipline.
The knockout format leaves little room for error. India and Japan will meet in the quarterfinals on September 22, and the winner will go on to the medal rounds. The badminton team competition will eventually culminate in the men's gold-medal match on September 24.
For India, that Bangladesh match was about getting the campaign off to a good start. The challenge is the Japan match to win. In the Japan match, India will face a much stronger opponent now; the Japan tie will be about playing under pressure against a much stronger opponent. Because Lakshya, Ayush and Srikanth will come with singles depth and Satwik-Chirag is a strong doubles option, India will have a variety of routes to victory in the quarterfinal. Japan comes with a strong home crowd and a deep squad.
