India is preparing for one of the biggest events in the world of badminton, the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi from August 17 to August 23. India will be the host nation and has a strong 10-member direct entry team of badminton stars PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen. With home support and a strong lineup across all categories, Indian shuttlers will do very well on home soil.
As for the singles, the spotlight will be on former world champion PV Sindhu, who won the coveted World Championship title in 2019 with her silver medals in 2017 and 2018. She will be joined by young talent Unnati Hooda, who is the second direct entry for India in the women's division. On the men's side, the explosive Lakshya Sen and the talented shuttler Ayush Shetty, both of whom have high hopes of a podium place, are in the mix for the men's singles draw.
India has world-class medal contenders in the doubles divisions in the men's category. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are the most talented medal contenders in India and will bring their strength and international experience to the home courts. They will be supported by the second men's doubles pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun, who are in the main draw as well.
In the women's doubles category, the country's hopes will rest on the dynamic duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela, who are ranked 30th worldwide. They will be paired with Kavipriya Selvam and Simran Singhi. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto qualified in 21st place, and the second Indian pair is Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde.
Besides the main entries, India has a formidable and extensive reserve list in every category that indicates the depth of badminton players in India. The men's singles reserves are made up of such renowned players as Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, alongside Tharun Mannepalli, Kiran George, and Mithun Manjunath. The women's singles reserve bench is also very strong, with Tanvi Sharma, Isharani Baruah, Devika Sihag, Rakshitha Sree Ramraj, Anmol Kharb, Anupama Upadhyaya, Malvika Bansod, Tanya Hemanth, Tasnim Mir, and Shriyanshi Valishetty. Pairs like Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam, and Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda, along with Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh, Dhruv Rawat and Maneesha K., and Mohit Jaglan and Lakshita Jaglan in the mixed doubles reserve are just a few of the names that are ready to fill in. With all this depth and the enthralling home fans, the stage is set for a thrilling week of world-class badminton in New Delhi.
