Returning from injuries and battling indifferent form, Indian shuttlers will have to come up with outstanding performances to end the country’s wait for a title at the All England Championships beginning here on Tuesday.
It has been 22 years since India won the coveted title when Pullela Gopichand (2001) followed the legendary Prakash Padukone (1980).
While Lakshya Sen came close to securing the crown when he reached the final in the last edition and Saina Nehwal was runners-up in the 2015 edition, other Indians, including two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, couldn’t go beyond the last-four stage in the prestigious event.
This time around, things will only be tougher as both Sen and Sindhu, since returning from a long injury lay-off, had subdued starts to the new season, having made early exits in Malaysia and India Open.
World No. 12 Sen is coming into the event after a shock loss to world No. 41 Christo Popov of France in the first round of German Open, while Sindhu, in a desperate measure, has parted ways with Korea’s Park Taesang a few weeks ahead of the event. Sen will face Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, seeded fifth, while Sindhu will be up against tricky Chinese Zhang Yi Man, who has a 1-1 record against her.
If there is one Indian who could be the dark horse, it is world No.9 HS Prannoy.
Prannoy has been consistent and has registered some big wins against top players, the latest being Malaysia’s world No.4 Lee Zii Jia at the Badminton Asia Mixed team championship (BATC) in February.
Prannoy will open his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s Wang Tzu Wei.
While none of the singles players are seeded this time, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will hope to live up to their sixth seeding.
The Indian badminton contingent is all set to begin their campaign at the All England Open 2023 on Monday with HS Prannoy’s Round of 32 match in the men’s singles category. While Prannoy faces Taiwan’s Wang Tzu-Wei in the tournament opener, HS Prannoy will face Chou Tien-Chen later in the day. Following Saina Nehwal’s withdrawal, India’s campaign in the women’s singles category will begin with World No. 9 PV Sindhu’s match against China’s Zhang Yiman.
Check India’s full squad for All England Open 2023:
- Men’s singles: Main draw: Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, HS Prannoy
- Women’s singles: Main draw: PV Sindhu
- Men’s doubles: Main draw: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila
- Women’s doubles: Main draw: Gayatri Gopichand/Treesa Jolly, Ashwini Bhat K/Shikha Gautam
- Mixed doubles: Main draw: Ishaan Bhatnagar/Tanisha Crasto
All England Open Badminton 2023: Key Dates
- First Round: Tuesday, March 14, 2023 and Wednesday, March 15, 2023
- Second Round: Thursday, March 16, 2023
- Quarterfinals: Friday, March 17, 2023
- Semifinals: Saturday, March 18, 2023
- Finals: Sunday, March 19, 2023
- India’s full schedule at All England Open Badminton 2023
- Men’s Singles Round of 32
T.W. Wang vs Prannoy HS on March 14
T.C. Chou vs Lakshya Sen on March 14
Kidambi Srikanth vs T. Popov on March 15
Women’s Singles Round of 32
Y.M. Zhang vs PV Sindhu on March 15
Men’s Doubles Round of 32
M. Gideon & K. Sukamuljo vs Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy on March 15
Arjun MR & Dhruv Kapila vs X Ren. & Q. Tan on March 15
Women’s Doubles Round of 32
Ashwini Bhat & Shikha Gautam vs S.H. Lee & H.N. Baek on March 15
Mixed Doubles Round of 32
Ishaan Bhatnagar & Tanisha Crasto vs I Lohau vs M LamsfuB on March 15
How to watch All England Open Badminton 2023 in India?
Indian badminton fans can watch live action from the All England Open 2023 by tuning into the live streaming on Jio Cinema app and website in India. India’s opening game at the competition will begin at 3:45 PM IST on Tuesday.
How to watch the live telecast of All England Open Badminton 2023 in India?
The All England Open Badminton 2023 will also be telecasted on the Sports 18 1 TV channel in India from the quarter-final stage onwards.
How to watch the live streaming of All England Open Badminton 2023?
Fans around the globe can tune in to Badminton World Federation’s official YouTube channel, BWF TV to watch the tournament live from anywhere in the world
The shuttler from Almora made the headlines yet again a week later when he became only the fifth Indian to reach the final off the All England Open Badminton Championships.
Birmingham has been fortuitous venue for the shuttler from Almora having also clinched the Commonwealth Games gold there last year in August. Sen will return to the English town with an aim to finish what he started last year – become only the third Indian after Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand to win the celebrated tournament.
But the pathway is laden with multiple obstacles, starting with Chinese Taipei’s Chou Tien Chen in Round 1, who won bronze at last year’s World Championships. Sen is yet to beat the fifth seed but had it in him to push the previous two contests into the third game.