The BWF World Championships return to India this week for only the second time in history, as New Delhi prepares to welcome the world’s best badminton players. For the Indian contingent, led by PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the tournament offers a rare opportunity to chase world glory on home soil.
A historic occasion
The World Championships were first held in India in 2009, when Hyderabad played host. Seventeen years later, the tournament returns to a country transformed in its relationship with the sport. Badminton has become one of India’s most successful disciplines, producing world and Olympic champions, and the expectation this time is far greater than it was in 2009.
The venue, the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, has undergone a significant transformation ahead of the event. After years of criticism over facilities at the Indian Open, the stadium finally lives up to the occasion, with organisers applying the finishing touches to ensure the sport’s biggest event of the year is staged in fitting fashion.
The home stars
PV Sindhu carries the weight of expectation, as she has done for the best part of a decade. The Olympic medallist and former world champion remains India’s most decorated shuttler, and the prospect of adding a second world title on home soil is a powerful motivator.
Lakshya Sen, one of the brightest talents in men’s badminton, will be determined to make his mark on the biggest stage. His aggressive, athletic game has troubled the world’s best, and a deep run in Delhi would cement his status among the elite.
The doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, a duo that has redefined Indian doubles badminton, will also be among the contenders. Their chemistry and firepower make them a genuine threat in every tournament they enter, and the home crowd will be firmly behind them.
Young Ayush Shetty, who has been tipped as a future star, adds further intrigue to the Indian challenge, and there is quiet optimism that this could be a breakthrough tournament for the next generation.
A tough road ahead
The draws have not been kind to the Indian stars. PV Sindhu faces a challenging path through the early rounds, and the depth of the women’s singles field, led by the Asian powerhouses, means there are no easy matches at this level.
For Lakshya Sen and the doubles pairs, the competition is equally fierce. The World Championships bring together the very best from China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and beyond, and every round represents a genuine test.
Yet home advantage can be a powerful force in badminton. The support of a passionate Delhi crowd, the familiarity of the conditions and the motivation of performing in front of their own people could give the Indian contingent an edge that extends beyond pure ranking.
What’s at stake
For the Indian players, the World Championships represent the pinnacle of the sport’s annual calendar, a title that carries enormous prestige. A medal of any colour would be a significant achievement, and a gold would etch the winner’s name into history.
The tournament also carries broader significance for Indian badminton. A strong showing on home soil would inspire the next generation of players and reinforce India’s status as a genuine badminton powerhouse. The sport has grown enormously in recent years, and a successful World Championships would accelerate that growth further.
The bigger picture
India’s hosting of the World Championships is a reflection of the country’s growing stature in global sport. From cricket to badminton to hockey, India is increasingly the venue of choice for major events, and the infrastructure and organisational expertise required to stage a world championships are now firmly in place.
For badminton fans, the coming week promises high drama and world class action. For the Indian stars, it is a chance to write their names into the sport’s history books on home soil. The stage is set, the venue is ready, and the world’s best are arriving in Delhi.
The shuttle is about to fly. India is ready.