Daijiworld Media Network – Bangkok
Bangkok, May 12: India’s badminton contingent will shift focus back to individual competition as the Thailand Open 2026 gets underway in Bangkok, with star shuttlers Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu spearheading the country’s campaign in the Super 500 tournament.
The Indian team enters the tournament on the back of an impressive bronze medal finish at the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals, with a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talents competing across categories.
Lakshya Sen, seeded seventh, returns to action after missing the Thomas Cup semifinal due to an elbow injury. The Indian ace will begin his campaign against Singapore’s Jason Teh Jia Heng as he looks to regain rhythm after the injury layoff.
Youngster Ayush Shetty, who impressed during the Thomas Cup, faces a stern challenge against Japan’s sixth seed Kodai Naraoka in the opening round.
Former world championship silver medallist Kidambi Srikanth is set for a high-profile clash against Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew, revisiting their memorable 2021 World Championships final encounter. Srikanth will be aiming to rediscover consistency on the international circuit.
Tharun Mannepalli, returning after injury setbacks, opens against Japan’s Koki Watanabe.
In women’s singles, two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, seeded sixth, will face Chinese Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong in her opening match. Sindhu has shown signs of improved form this season with semifinal and quarterfinal appearances but will look for a deeper run in Bangkok to boost her confidence and rankings.
Among other Indian players, Unnati Hooda faces fourth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong in a tough opener, while Malvika Bansod takes on Canada’s Wen Yu Zhang. Anmol Kharb faces a difficult task against former Olympic champion Chen Yufei.
Devika Sihag, Tanvi Sharma and Isharani Baruah are also part of India’s women’s singles challenge.
India’s strongest medal hopes remain with men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who enter the tournament as top seeds. The duo, former champions in 2019 and 2024, will open against Indonesia’s Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana.
The pair showed encouraging form during the Thomas Cup after Satwik’s recovery from a shoulder injury and will now look to regain full momentum on the BWF circuit.
Seventh seeds Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun will also represent India in men’s doubles.
In women’s doubles, Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda are India’s lone representatives and will face Taiwan’s Lin Chih-Chun and Yang Chu Yun.
Mixed doubles pairs Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor-Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, and Ashith Surya-Amrutha Pramuthesh will also compete in the tournament.
The Thailand Open is expected to play an important role in shaping rankings and momentum for Indian players as the international season progresses. While established names like Lakshya, Sindhu and Satwik-Chirag carry the nation’s medal hopes, the tournament also offers younger players an opportunity to test themselves against top-ranked opponents on the world stage.
Live streaming of the Thailand Open 2026 will be available on the Badminton World Federation’s YouTube channel for viewers in India.