PV Sindhu, Indian Contingent Face Challenging Draws at 2025 Badminton Worlds

Tough Draws Await Indian Shuttlers at 2025 World Championships.

India’s bid to extend their medal streak at the Badminton World Championships — unbroken since 2011 — faces a stern test this year, with several top players handed challenging draws for the event from August 25–31 at the Adidas Arena in Paris.

The nation’s best hopes rest on men’s doubles stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, former World No. 1s and current ninth seeds, who begin with a first-round bye. They could face China’s Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang in the third round and, potentially, Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the quarter-finals — the pair who ended their Paris Olympic campaign last year and lead their head-to-head 11–3.

Lakshya, Prannoy Face Early Hurdles
Former bronze medallist Lakshya Sen has drawn top seed Shi Yuqi in a blockbuster first-round clash. The Chinese star leads their head-to-head 3–1, with Lakshya losing their most recent meeting at the Indonesia Open in June. HS Prannoy, a 2023 bronze medallist, opens against Finland’s Joakim Oldorff after a tough season in which he rarely progressed past the second round. Neither Indian men’s singles player is seeded.

Sindhu’s Path Runs Into World No. 2
PV Sindhu, seeded 15th and India’s lone seeded singles player, starts against Bulgaria’s Kaloyana Nalbantova. A third-round showdown looms with second seed Wang Zhi Yi of China, who is in red-hot form after winning the China Open Super 1000 last month. Sindhu, the 2019 world champion and a five-time medallist, has not beaten Wang since 2022.

Other Entries and Withdrawals
In men’s doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and Rethinasabapathi could meet Satwik and Chirag in round two if they get past Taiwan’s Liu Kuang Heng and Yang Po Han.

Women’s doubles medal hopes took a hit with Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly withdrawing. World No. 39 Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra face France’s Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante, while the Panda sisters, Rutaparna and Swetaparna, take on Bulgaria’s Stoeva sisters in round one.

In mixed doubles, 16th seeds Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have a first-round bye and may meet Hong Kong’s sixth seeds Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet in the third round. Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde are India’s second pair in the category.

Since 2011, India has won at least one medal at every World Championships, with legends like PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal, and Prakash Padukone among the medallists.