BWF World Championships 2026: Sindhu, Lakshya get favourable draws; Ayush faces defending champion Shi Yu Qi in opener

India’s top badminton players received a mixed draw for the upcoming BWF World Championships, with PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen getting relatively comfortable opening-round matches, while Ayush Shetty faces the toughest challenge against defending champion Shi Yu Qi of China.

The World Championships will be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi from August 17 to 23, marking the first time in 17 years that India is hosting the prestigious tournament.

Former world champion Sindhu, who is chasing a record sixth World Championships medal, will begin her campaign against Ireland’s Sophia Nobel, ranked 141st in the world.

The two-time Olympic medallist enters the tournament with confidence after winning the Japan Open last month. Her draw has kept her away from world No. 1 An Se Young and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi until the later stages. However, Sindhu could face China’s third seed Wang Zhi Yi in the pre-quarterfinals before a possible quarterfinal clash against Indonesia’s Putri Wardani.

Lakshya Sen, who won a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships, will start against Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon. If he progresses, the Indian is expected to meet Thailand’s second seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the pre-quarterfinals. Despite the difficult path, the Indian camp remains confident that Lakshya can challenge the world’s best on his day.

The biggest first-round clash involving an Indian will see Asian Championships silver medallist Ayush Shetty take on defending champion Shi Yu Qi. Ayush has lost all three of his previous matches against the Chinese star but has pushed him hard in recent meetings. Chief national coach Pullela Gopichand believes the youngster has the attacking game to trouble the favourite and said facing Shi in the opening round could actually work in his favour.

“I think overall it looks like a good draw from an Indian perspective. If Ayush can beat Shi Yu Qi, the draw opens up for him,” Gopichand said after the draw ceremony.

The veteran coach also backed Lakshya to produce another strong performance on the world stage. He said the Indian is now a much more mature and experienced player than he was when he won bronze in 2021.

Gopichand also described the men’s singles field as one of the most open in recent years, saying both Lakshya and Ayush have a genuine chance of reaching the podium if they play to their potential.

In men’s doubles, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a first-round bye and will begin against either Scotland’s Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle or Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga. Their likely first major test could come against Indonesia’s Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin.

Among the other Indian players, Unnati Hooda will face Myanmar’s Thet Htar Thuzar in women’s singles, while mixed doubles pair Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto also received a first-round bye.

Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, Simran Singhi and Kavipriya Selvam, and MR Arjun with Hariharan will also begin their campaigns in the doubles events, as India looks to make the most of home conditions at the World Championships.