New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) The host nation, India, is preparing to send its largest-ever delegation, consisting of 21 entries, for the third edition of the India Open, a prestigious tournament in the BWF World Tour Super 750 series, which will be held from January 14 to 19 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, located in the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
In the previous two editions of this Super 750 event, India had a total of 14 entries each time, with notable performances from Asian Games men’s doubles gold medallists Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who reached the finals in men’s doubles, and HS Prannoy, who made it to the last four in men’s singles in 2024.
This year, the tournament will feature 21 entries from India, broken down into three in men’s singles, four in women’s singles, two in men’s doubles, eight in women’s doubles, and four in mixed doubles.
Prominent players expected to compete include Olympic champions Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young, and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi, highlighting the star-studded lineup.
This Super 750 tournament is a flagship event organized by the Badminton Association of India. Elevating to Super 750 status in 2023, it is part of the BWF World Tour, boasting a prize pool of USD 950,000 and 11,000 points for the champions.
Sanjay Mishra, general secretary of the Badminton Association of India, remarked, "The 2025 India Open represents a clear sign of how Indian players are gradually establishing themselves among the elite in global badminton. With such a significant number of Indian players participating in a Super 750 event, it signals the growth and rise of Indian badminton on the international stage. This is merely the start—2025 is expected to see more names alongside established players, while new talents will emerge, bringing pride to India."
In addition to Chirag and Satwik, India will also count on 2022 men’s singles champion Lakshya Sen and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu to vie for the prestigious title.
The competitive landscape is formidable, with only two out of the top-20 ranked men’s singles players absent from the event in New Delhi. The women’s singles category will feature 14 of the top-20 players.
As many top doubles players are contemplating retirement post-Paris Olympics or shifting partners, the paired events may yield surprising results. However, Indian fans will primarily focus on the performances of Chirag and Satwik, with the latter returning from an injury layoff and having limited action since the Olympics.
The men’s doubles lineup is led by China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, silver medallists from the Paris Olympics, along with bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia. Also competing will be Danish pair Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen, as well as Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
List of Indian players:
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Priyanshu Rajawat
Women's singles: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Anupama Upadhyaya, Aakarshi Kashyap
Men's doubles: Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, K Sai Pratheek/Pruthvi K Roy
Women's doubles: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand, Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto, Rutuparna Panda/Swetaparna Panda, Mansa Rawat/Gayatri Rawat, Ashwini Bhat/Shikha Gautam, Sakshi Gahlawat/Apoorva Gahlawat, Sania Sikkandar/Rashmi Ganesh, Mrunmayee Deshpande/Prerana Alvekar
Mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto, K Sathish Kumar/Aadya Variyath, Rohan Kapoor/G Ruthvika Shivani, Ashith Surya/Amrutha Pramuthesh.
