India’s leading badminton players, including PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and Satwik-Chirag, will be returning to action at the individual Badminton Asia Championships, beginning on 25 April in Dubai. Following a brief hiatus, the players will be gearing up for the 2024 Olympic qualification cycle and the Sudirman Cup, a world team championship, which starts in May. In February, India won bronze at the Badminton Asia Championships mixed team championships thanks to their commendable doubles performance.
The BWF Tour took a brief hiatus following the European leg in March, during which the Indian contingent had mixed results. After a three to four-week break from the tour, the Indian players will be eager to return, refreshed and regrouped following injury setbacks and early exits. PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy, and the men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty are among the Indian players who have been seeded for the event.
Lakshya Sen, who is unseeded due to an indifferent start to the season, and saw his ranking drop to 24, will start his campaign against former world champion and seventh seed, Loh Kean Yew of Singapore. Sen leads their head-to-head 4-2 and has just returned from a break to take care of his mental and physical health. It will be interesting to see which version of Sen shows up in Dubai. The other top players in his quarter are top seed Jonatan Christie, Shi Yu Qi, and Ng Tze Yong.
It will be interesting to see how the Indian shuttlers perform at the Badminton Asia Championships, especially PV Sindhu who has been making a comeback after injury. It’s good to see Lakshya Sen taking a break to focus on his physical and mental health, and he will be looking to get back to his best form. Malvika Bansod has a tough opener against world champion Akane Yamaguchi, while Aakarshi Kashyap and Saina Nehwal will also face tough opponents in the early rounds. Overall, it promises to be an exciting tournament with the Indian shuttlers looking to make their mark.