Largest-ever Indian contingent to feature at India Open Super 750

new delhi: Star shuttlers Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu will headline host India’s largest-ever contingent of 21 players at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open Super 750 badminton tournament, starting here from January 14.

With top stars like Olympics champions Viktor Axelsen, An Se Young and world No. 1 Shi Yuqi leading the field, top-tier action is expected at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.

Axelsen, a 2023 finalist, had withdrawn from the last edition after falling sick while playing in the Malaysia Open.

A total of 21 Indian players, including three men’s singles, four women’s singles, two men’s doubles, eight women’s doubles, and four mixed doubles pairs, will compete in the $950,000 BWF World Tour event, which offers 11,000 ranking points for the champions.

“With so many Indian players competing in a Super 750 event, it’s a remarkable sign of the growth and rise of Indian badminton on the world stage,” said Sanjay Mishra, general secretary, Badminton Association of India.

“This is just the beginning — 2025 promises to be a year where more names will feature alongside the established names, while fresh faces will emerge and shine bringing glory and pride to India,” he added. The tournament, which was elevated to Super 750 category in 2023, saw India field 14 entries in the past two editions, and India’s highlights were Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy reaching the men’s doubles final and HS Prannoy making the men’s singles semifinals in 2024.

Chirag and Satwiksairaj, semifinalists at the 2024 China Masters, will lead India’s men’s doubles charge. Satwiksairaj, returning from injury, will look to regain his form after limited play since the Paris Olympics. Apart from Satwiksairaj-Chirag, India’s hopes will also rest on former champion Sen and Sindhu.

The competition will feature 18 of the world’s top-20 men’s singles players and 14 of the top-20 women’s

singles shuttlers.