New Delhi: Indian badminton players will begin their 2026 season with renewed purpose as they compete at the Malaysia Open Super 1000 tournament, which gets underway on Tuesday with a prize purse of USD 1.45 million. After a challenging 2025 marked by injuries and inconsistent results, the focus has shifted to making an early impact against elite opposition and building rhythm ahead of the India Open Super 750 in New Delhi next week.
Lakshya Sen remains a key figure in India’s singles campaign. The former world championships bronze medallist was one of the positives last season, ending a difficult phase with a title win at the Australian Open Super 500 and a runner up finish at the Hong Kong Open. The 24 year old will look to extend that momentum when he faces Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason Teh in his opening match.
Youngster Ayush Shetty also arrives with confidence after winning the US Open Super 300. Consistency remains his main challenge as he prepares for a tough opening round clash against Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, the Paris Olympics bronze medallist.
In women’s singles, two time Olympic medallist P V Sindhu will be eager to rediscover her best form. The former world champion missed several tournaments late last year due to a foot injury and struggled for rhythm through the season. She begins her campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun. Unnati Hooda faces a demanding test against Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei, while Malvika Bansod returns from a long injury layoff to take on former world champion Ratchanok Intanon.
Attention will also be on men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third. The Asian Games champions were India’s most consistent performers last season and open against Lee Jhe Huei and Yang Po Hsuan of Chinese Taipei. Another Indian pair, M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan, will face a strong Japanese challenge after a successful year on the International Challenge circuit.
In women’s doubles, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, fresh from a title defence at the Syed Modi International, will take on Indonesia’s Febriana Kusuma and Meilysa Puspitasari. The Panda sisters and three Indian mixed doubles pairs will also be in action as India looks to start the new season on a positive note.
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