It’s a new year, a new badminton season, and Indian badminton will hope that it heralds a new beginning in the collective fortunes of the top players.
The year 2025, to put it bluntly, was forgettable for the top tier of Indian badminton with no major title and some sporadic, significant wins. It is important then to begin the new season, in the year of Asian Games and a home World Championships, on a positive note.
The 2026 season starts with the Malaysia Open Super 1000 on Tuesday, with all of India’s top stars in action, and only one seed across five disciplines which makes the draw particularly challenging.
PV Sindhu returns from an injury layoff, Lakshya Sen plays his first tournament since ending 2025 with a long-awaited title and third seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who have barely had an off season after competing in the BWF World Tour Finals in mid-December, will hope to build on the momentum they put together at the end of last season.
Here’s a closer look at the draws and chances of Indian players at Malaysia Open Super 1000:
Women’s Singles
PV Sindhu vs Sung Shuo Yun
Malvika Bansod vs Ratchanok Intanon
All eyes will be on Sindhu, who hasn’t played internationally since last October to rest her foot injury. She played domestically at the Inter-Zonal Nationals in Vijayawada last month and looked to be in good touch.
Ranked 18th in the world, she starts her season against Chinese Taipei’s Sung Shuo Yun, who Sindhu leads 2-0 in their head-to-head. A win will pit her against Japanese 8th seed Tomoka Miyazaki, who she is tied 1-1 with and had memorably beaten at the China Open last July. The other seed in her quarter is Akane Yamaguchi, who can be her quarterfinal opponent if Sindhu can beat Miyazaki.
Also returning from an injury layoff is Malvika Bansod, who needed six months away from the tour due to a left knee injury which forced her to retire mid-match last June. She is ranked 50 in the world at present and starts against seventh seed Ratchanok Intanon, a very tough draw to return at the highest level to. If she manages an upset against an opponent she has yet to beat in three meetings, she will play the winner of the match between Mia Blichfeldt and Natsuki Nidaira.
Teenager Unnati Hooda too had a difficult opening match penciled in, taking on fourth seed Chen Yu Fei, but she pulled out on the eve of the competition.
Men’s Singles
Lakshya Sen vs Jia Heng Jason The
Ayush Shetty vs Lee Zii Jia
On first look, the men’s singles draw looks bleak for India with just two players in the mix, unlike the years before where veterans HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth and some youngsters would be a more regular fixture.
Lakshya is the top ranked Indian, and finally returned to the winner’s podium in his last tournament of 2025, capturing the Australian Open 500 title. Afterwards, he spoke poignantly about how he has slowly worked on patience and mental growth after the Paris Olympic fourth-place heartbreak, which resulted in that title.
He starts against Singapore’s Jia Heng Jason The, in what is their first senior meeting. That may be his easiest match as a win will likely pit him against Christo Popov, the sixth seed and the player in red-hot form after giant-killing his way to the BWF World Tour Finals trophy last month. The other seed in his quarter is world No 1 Shi Yu Qi, which makes it a very difficult section to get out of. Lakshya will have to employ his absolute best badminton and mentality to make a mark.
Also in this quarter is upcoming Indian Ayush Shetty, who was the other Indian title winner in 2025 with the US Open Super 300. The world no. 32 starts against Paris Olympics bronze-medallist Lee Zii Jia and has a potential second round match against Shi Yu Qi if he can score an upset.
Men’s Doubles
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty vs Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan
M R Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan vs Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita
The only seeded Indians, and the best bet for reaching the weekend matches are of course Satwik and Chirag. Seeded third and coming off a strong semifinal finish at the BWF World Tour finals last month, they have an easier draw, starting against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan.
Their first real test should come in the quarterfinals, against sixth seeds Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri. They are 1-1 in head-to-head, and the Indians beat the Indonesians at the World Tour Finals last month in a three-game battle. Satwik-Chirag could face a semifinal rematch against China’s Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng, which can be a fantastic match given the pair’s history.
Another Indian pair in action will be the more recent pairing of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan. They are ranked 68 in the world but have won four International Challenge titles together in 2025 – St Denis Reunion Open, Al Ain Masters, Türkiye International Challenge and Telangana India International Challenge.
They face Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa and Kyohei Yamashita in the opening round and a win will pit them against either fifth seeds Man Wei Chong and Kai Wun Tee or the Danish veterans Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen.
Women’s Doubles
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand vs Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari
Rutaparna Panda and Swetaparna Panda vs Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan
The pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, now ranked 20 in the world after an injury layoff for Gayatri, will be back on the big stage hoping to reach the world’s top eight once again. In November, they defended their title at the Syed Modi International Super 300 title at home but a Super 1000 will be a test of their match readiness. They start against Indonesia’s Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari, who had beaten the Indians in their comeback match last November at the Australian Open.
If they win this time, they will have second seeds and home favourites Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan waiting for them, who start against the Panda sisters — Rutaparna and Swetaparna.
Mixed Doubles
Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto vs Presleey Smith and Jennie Gai
Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde vs Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin
Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh vs Phuwanat Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard
Mixed doubles has three Indian pairs in the mix, although there isn’t much scope at a Super 1000 in this discipline. Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto are the highest ranked Indians at world no. 17 and start against Presleey Smith and Jennie Gai, with a seeded opponent in the second round.
Rohan and Ruthvika have a tough task against Chinese second seeds Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin while Ashith and Amrutha start against Phuwanat Horbanluekit Benyapa Aimsaard.
