Ningbo (China), April 7 (IANS) As the Badminton Asia Championships 2025 kicks off on Tuesday in Ningbo, China, a mixed bag of experienced stalwarts and rising stars from India are set to launch their continental campaign with hopes of a strong showing.

However, the Indian squad will be missing some big names, with notable withdrawals including the women’s doubles World No. 9 pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, along with the defending men’s doubles champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

Despite the setback, the Indian challenge will be spearheaded by the trio of Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, and PV Sindhu — all determined to bounce back from a string of inconsistent performances in recent months.

India’s top two men’s singles players, Lakshya (World No. 18) and Prannoy (World No. 17), headline the singles draw. Sen, a bronze medallist at the 2021 World Championships, begins his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia-Hao, who was a finalist at the All England Championships earlier this season. Prannoy, still regaining full form after a bout of chikungunya, will face a tough test in his opener against China’s Guang Zu Lu.

The Indian contingent also includes Kiran George (World No. 34) and Priyanshu Rajawat (World No. 35). George will open against a qualifier, while Rajawat is set to face Thailand’s Kantaphon Wangcharoen.

In the women’s singles, PV Sindhu returns to the court seeking momentum after slipping to World No. 17. The two-time Olympic medallist opens her campaign against Indonesia’s Ester Nurumi Tri Wardoyo. However, the road ahead is tough for the rest of the Indian contingent.

Young guns Malvika Bansod (World No. 23), Anupama Upadhyaya (World No. 43), and Aakarshi Kashyap (World No. 48) face uphill tasks. Anupama will square off against Thailand’s former world champion and eighth seed Ratchanok Intanon. Bansod faces a stern challenge from China’s Fang Jie Gao, while Kashyap has drawn second seed Yue Han of China in her opener.

With Jolly and Gopichand pulling out, India’s women’s doubles representation will be led by the pairing of Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra. They will take on Chinese Taipei’s Shuo Yun Sung and Chien Hui Yu.

In the men’s doubles draw, India fields two relatively unknown pairs — Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi and Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy/Sai Pratheek. They’ll be hoping to spring a few surprises and gain crucial experience on the big stage.

The mixed doubles category features a fresh blend of youth and promise with four Indian pairs in contention. Rohan Kapoor teams up with Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, while Sathish Kumar Karunakaran will partner Aadya Variyath. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, a more experienced duo, are also in the fray, alongside the pair of Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh.

This year’s edition of the Badminton Asia Championships, offering a prize pool of USD 500,000. The tournament will run till April 13.

–IANS

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