PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy to lead India's campaign in Sudirman Cup 2023

The Badminton Association of India on Wednesday, April 18 announced the squad for Sudirman Cup, the prestigious mixed team competition in the BWF calendar which will be held Suzhou, China from May 14 to 21. HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu will lead India's challenge as they have been bolstered by the return of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.

India are high on confidence after having won the bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships earlier this year in Dubai. Notably, India's men's team also scripted history in 2022 by winning the Thomas Cup for the first time in the history of the sport.

PV Sindhu along with Anupama Upadhaya, who won the women's singles nationals, will represent women's singles at the Sudirman Cup while HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have been picked ahead of Lakshya Sen, who will be the reserve player for men's singles. Akarshi Kashyap will be the reserve for the women's singles. Lakshya



slip in BWF rankings has seen him lost the spot to experienced campaigners Srikanth and Prannoy.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who missed the Badminton Asia Team Championships due to an injury, is back to pair with Chirag Shetty while Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun are the second men's doubles pair.

Gayatri Gopichand and Jolly Treesa, who reached the semi-final at the All England Open for the second successive time, will be part of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, who will pair with Sai Pratheek in the mixed doubles.

China are the most dominant side in Sudirman Cup history, having won the title in the biennial tournament 12 times. South Korea have won the title 4 times while Indonesia won once in 1989. China defeated Japan 3-1 in the final in 2021 in Finland to win the 12th crown.

India shuttles will next be in action at the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai from April 24.