India’s star doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have got first round bye

India’s Ayush Shetty will face defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi of China in the men’s singles opening round of the BWF World Championships 2026 to be played at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from August 17 to 23.

According to the draw, India’s former world champion PV Sindhu will take on World No 141 Sophia Nobel of Ireland and 2022 World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen will face Collins Valentine Filimon of Austria in the men’s singles first round.

In the men’s doubles draw, fifth seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have a bye in the opening and will play the winners of the match between Alexander Dunn and Adam Pringle of Scotland and Thailand’s Chaloempon Charoenkitamorn and Worrapol Thongsa-Nga.

For Satwik and Chirag, the first real challenge is expected to come from the 12th seeded Indonesian pair of Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin, who reached the finals of the Indonesia Open in June this year.

India’s chief coach Pullela Gopichand said the men’s singles was wide open. “Overall it looks like a good draw from an Indian perspective. It will be a big first round clash between Shi Yuqi and Ayush Shetty,” he added.

Among the other Indians in fray, Unnati Hooda will face Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar in the opening round with a possible clash against 13th seed Michelle Li of Canada in the second round.

In mixed doubles, 15th seeded Indian combination of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto have a bye in the opening round.

In the women’s doubles, two-time All England semi-finalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will be up against Paula Lopez and Lucia Rodriguez of Spain in the first round.

EOM