HS Prannoy Hits Out at Badminton Asia Championships Organisers for ‘Unfair’ Handling

India’s HS Prannoy has hit out at the absence of Hawk-Eye technology after his Round of 16 exit at the Badminton Asia Championships 2026 in Ningbo, raising questions over officiating standards at a premier event.

“It’s 2026, and I still can’t believe there is no Hawk-Eye on Court 2 for a Super 1000 event,” Prannoy posted on social media, reacting to a contentious line call during his match against China’s Weng Hongyang.

Tight contest ends in straight games
Prannoy lost 12-21, 19-21 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. After conceding the opening game comfortably, he mounted a strong fight in the second, staying in contention before losing crucial points late in the game.

He had earlier made a solid start to his campaign, defeating Vietnam’s Nguyen Hai Dang 24-22, 21-12, but could not carry that form forward.

India suffer multiple setbacks
Prannoy’s exit compounded a difficult outing for India at the tournament.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu also exited in the Round of 16, going down 21-18, 21-8 to China’s Wang Zhiyi. While Sindhu remained competitive in the opening game, she was outplayed in the second.

Earlier, Lakshya Sen bowed out in the first round, as did Malvika Bansod and Tanvi Sharma in women’s singles.

Ayush Shetty keeps India in contention
Amid the setbacks, Ayush Shetty has emerged as the lone bright spot. The 20-year-old reached the quarterfinals with straight-game wins over higher-ranked opponents, including Chinese Taipei’s Chi Yu-jen and China’s Li Shifeng.

He will next take on Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the last eight, keeping India’s hopes alive at the tournament.