Prarthana Hazarika
NEW DELHI: As the BWF World Championships return to India after 17 years, the home challenge carries both expectation and opportunity. India will have contenders across all five disciplines, but five names stand out for the different stories they bring to the tournament.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty
The fifth-seeded men’s doubles pair remain India’s biggest medal hope.
Satwik and Chirag have already won a World Championships bronze and an Asian Games gold and have spent time at the top of the BWF rankings. Their explosive attacking game makes them a threat to any pair in the draw.
But Satwik’s recurring shoulder issue remains a concern. Managing his fitness through a demanding championship could be as important as their form.
With the home crowd behind them, the pair have the opportunity to turn expectation into another major result.
PV Sindhu
Sindhu’s record at the World Championships speaks for itself: five medals, including gold in 2019, alongside two Olympic medals.
The 31-year-old arrives in Delhi with renewed confidence after winning the Japan Open in July. She defeated Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-17 in the final to become the first Indian to win the women’s singles title at the Super 750 event.
Seeded ninth, Sindhu will be chasing a sixth World Championships medal.
Her experience at major events remains one of India’s biggest assets.
Lakshya Sen
The 14th seed has already experienced the highs and pressure of a World Championships, winning bronze in 2021.
He also finished fourth at the Paris Olympics, underlining his ability to perform on the biggest stage. The challenge now is consistency.
Lakshya has prepared specifically for the Delhi conditions, training at the BAI National Centre of Excellence in Amingaon, Guwahati.
If he can negotiate the early rounds and reproduce his best level against the top players, another deep run is within reach.
Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand
India’s women’s doubles hopes rest heavily on Treesa and Gayatri, who have established themselves as the country’s leading pair and broken into the world’s top 10.
Their progress has been interrupted by injuries, but their speed and athleticism make them capable of challenging the established combinations.
A strong run in Delhi would be significant for the pair—and for Indian women’s doubles, which has traditionally operated in the shadow of the men’s game.
Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto
The 15th-seeded mixed doubles pair could be India’s dark horses.
Kapila and Crasto reached the quarter-finals at last year’s World Championships after defeating fifth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet.
That result gives them valuable experience of winning against higher-ranked opposition at this level.
The next challenge is to go beyond the last eight.
More than medals
India’s World Championships campaign will inevitably be measured by medals, but the bigger story is the depth of the challenge.
Satwik-Chirag carry the expectation, Sindhu the legacy, Lakshya the desire for another major breakthrough, Treesa-Gayatri the promise of women’s doubles and Kapila-Crasto the possibility of a surprise run.
After 17 years, the World Championships are back on Indian soil.
For these five, Delhi is not simply a home tournament. It is an opportunity to shape the next chapter of Indian badminton.
