Seventeen years after India last hosted badminton’s biggest individual tournament, the BWF World Championships returns to New Delhi with the home contingent facing a demanding path from the opening round itself. With PV Sindhu chasing another deep run, Lakshya Sen looking to revive his World Championships campaign and young Ayush Shetty handed a daunting opener against defending champion Shi Yu Qi, India’s homecoming will begin with little room for complacency.
The 30th edition of the BWF World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23, bringing the world’s leading shuttlers together across men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. India last hosted the championships in Hyderabad in 2009. The return to home soil comes at an important point for Indian badminton, which has developed into a consistent medal contender across multiple categories.
The tournament will begin on Monday, August 17, with first-round action across disciplines from 9am IST. The second round will follow on Tuesday and Wednesday, before the competition moves into the knockout stages. The round of 16 is scheduled for Thursday, quarter-finals on Friday, semi-finals on Saturday and the title matches on Sunday, August 23.
Among the Indian singles players, Ayush Shetty has arguably received the most difficult assignment. The 20-year-old will begin against China’s Shi Yu Qi, the defending men’s singles champion and top seed. Shetty, however, enters the tournament with considerable momentum of his own. Earlier this year, he became the first Indian man to win a silver medal at the Badminton Asia Championships, losing to Shi in the final. That run established him as one of India’s most promising men’s singles players. Now he gets another opportunity against the same opponent, this time on the biggest stage and in front of a home crowd.
Lakshya Sen, India’s other men’s singles representative, begins against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon. Sen is a former World Championships medallist, having won bronze in 2021, and remains one of India’s most experienced singles players. He will need to navigate a difficult projected route that could eventually bring him up against second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn. The draw therefore gives Indian men’s singles fans an immediate reason to watch. One player faces the defending champion, while another is looking to negotiate a dangerous section of the draw and build momentum deep into the tournament.
Sindhu gets breathing room, but not an easy road. PV Sindhu’s campaign begins against Ireland’s Sophia Noble, ranked well outside the world’s top 100. The opening assignment gives the former world champion an opportunity to settle into the tournament before the difficulty rises sharply. Sindhu arrives in New Delhi with renewed confidence after winning the Japan Open in July, becoming the first Indian to claim the title. She defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the final, ending a wait of almost two years for a title and providing an important boost ahead of the World Championships.
The draw keeps Sindhu away from some of the biggest names until the later rounds. A projected meeting with third seed Wang Zhi Yi could come in the round of 16, while Indonesia’s sixth seed Putri Kusuma Wardani could await in the quarter-finals. For a player with five World Championships medals, including the historic 2019 gold, the objective is clear: convert her recent resurgence into another podium finish. A sixth medal would also push Sindhu closer to becoming the most decorated player in World Championships history. The Indian camp will be hoping the home crowd can provide the extra push.
Satwik and Chirag carry India’s biggest doubles hopes. In men’s doubles, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty enter as the fifth seeds and receive a first-round bye. They will face the winners of Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland against Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga. The pair have already established themselves as one of India’s most successful badminton combinations and will be among the strongest hopes for a home medal. Their first major seeded challenge is projected to come against Indonesia’s 12th-seeded Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin.
India will also be represented by several emerging combinations across women’s and mixed doubles, underlining the depth of the country’s challenge. The original 10-member squad announced by the BWF included Sindhu, Lakshya, Ayush, Unnati Hooda, Satwik and Chirag, along with two men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles pairs.
BWF World Championships:
August 17: First round, 9:00am IST
August 18: First and second round, 9:00am IST
August 19: Second round, 9:00am IST
August 20: Round of 16, 10:30am IST
August 21: Quarter-finals, 10:30am IST
August 22: Semi-finals, 10:30am IST
August 23: Finals, 1:00pm IST
For Indian fans, the return of the World Championships is also expected to be a major spectator event. Tickets for the New Delhi tournament were made available through BookMyShow, with public tickets beginning at ₹499. More than 6,000 seats were made available to fans. The championships will bring together defending champions and leading players from across the badminton world, including Shi Yu Qi and Akane Yamaguchi.
India, meanwhile, enters its home tournament with a mixture of established champions and emerging talent. For the Indian shuttlers, the equation is straightforward. The draw may be unforgiving, but the opportunity is unique.
