A 15-person Indian squad, including two reserves, was announced by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) on Wednesday for the 2023 edition of the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals. From May 14 to 21, the city of Suzhou in China will host the coveted tournament. HS Prannoy and PV Sindhu are set to lead the Indian contingent in the Sudirman Cup's latest instalment.
After taking home the bronze medal in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships in Dubai earlier this year, Team India will be feeling confident about their chances in the Sudirman Cup. Importantly, the Indian men's team made history in 2022 by becoming the first nation to ever win the Thomas Cup. While Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun make up the second men's doubles team, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, who was forced to withdraw from the Badminton Asia Team Championships owing to injury, is returning to partner up with Chirag Shetty.
The Indian team is grouped with countries like Malaysia, Chinese Taipei and Australia in Group C. "Sudirman Cup is a prestigious tournament and the selectors have picked the best squad after studying the domestic and international results. We are confident that this team will challenge for a medal this year," said Badminton Association of India secretary Sanjay Mishra.
China has won the Sudirman Cup 12 times, making them the most successful team in the tournament's history. Whereas, South Korea has won the championship four times and I ndonesia has won it only once in 1989 .
The Indian squad for the 2023 edition of the Sudirman Cup is as follows:
Men's Singles: HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth
Women's Singles: PV Sindhu, Anupama Upadhaya
Men's Doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila & MR Arjun
Women's Doubles: Gayatri Gopichand & Treesa Jolly, Tanisha Crasto & Ashwini Ponappa
Mixed Doubles: Sai Prateek & Tanisha Crasto
Reserves: Lakshya Sen, Aakarshi Kashyap