Xiamen [China], April 26 : Ace shuttlers PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will spearhead India's challenge at the upcoming Sudirman Cup 2025 badminton tournament in China, which will be played from April 27 to May 4, according to Olympics.com.
The Sudirman Cup, organised by the Badminton World Federation (BWF), is a prestigious biennial international mixed team badminton tournament. Every tie in the Sudirman Cup consists of five matches - men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles.
Sindhu, India's highest-ranked women's singles player at world No. 18, will lead the team alongside 20-year-old Anupama Upadhyaya. Lakshya Sen, ranked No. 18 in men's singles, will join HS Prannoy in the men's singles lineup.
India will miss the services of world No. 11 men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who pulled out due to fitness concerns. Their absence opens the door for Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi to make their mark.
In women's doubles, Tanisha Crasto partners Priya Konjengbam, while the mixed doubles combinations include Dhruv Kapila-Shruti Mishra and Sathish Kumar-Aadya Variyath.
India qualified for the Sudirman Cup based on its world team ranking and is currently placed No. 8. They have been drawn in Group D alongside strong contenders Indonesia (world No. 3), Denmark (No. 7) and England (No. 14). The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals.
India's best performances at the Sudirman Cup came in 2011 and 2017 when they reached the quarter-finals. However, in the 2023 edition in China, India failed to advance past the group stage, finishing third behind Malaysia and Chinese Taipei.
Sixteen nations will vie for the 2025 title, divided into four groups of four. Hosts China, the 13-time champions, headline Group A.
Sudirman Cup 2025 badminton: India's schedule
April 27, Sunday: India vs Denmark - 2:30 PM
April 29, Tuesday: Indonesia vs India - 2:30 PM
May 1, Thursday: India vs England - 2:30 PM
May 2, Friday: Quarter-finals (if India qualify) - 7:00 AM onwards
May 3, Saturday: Semi-finals (if India qualify) - 7:00 AM onwards
May 4, Sunday: Final (if India qualify) - 11:30 AM onwards
Sudirman Cup 2025: Indian badminton team
Men's singles: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy
Women's singles: PV Sindhu, Anupama Upadhyaya
Men's doubles: Hariharan Amsakarunan/Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi
Women's doubles: Tanisha Crasto-Priya Konjengbam
Mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Shruti Mishra, Sathish Kumar/Aadya Variyath
Sudirman Cup 2025 groups:
Group A: China, Hong Kong China, Thailand, Algeria
Group B: South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Canada, Czechia
Group C: Japan, Malaysia, France, Australia
Group D: India, Indonesia, Denmark, England.