Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have withdrawn from the Badminton Asia Championships due to the former's shoulder injury, while in-form Lakshya Sen and seasoned PV Sindhu prepare to lead India's challenge, hoping to end a long wait for a singles title at the continental showpiece. Satwik and Chirag, who won the title in 2023, opted out as the former recovers. "Satwik is still in pain, so they will not be playing this week," coach Tan Kim Her told PTI.
Satwik's chronic right shoulder issue forced the couple to withdraw from the Swiss Open before their quarterfinal match.Dinesh Khanna, a former national champion, is the only Indian to have won the men's singles gold medal at the continental event in 1965, and Lakshya will be hoping to follow in his footsteps after finishing second at the All England Championships.
The 24-year-old from Almora will begin his campaign against Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu.
Sindhu, meanwhile, returns after a hampered European leg. The two-time Olympic medallist was stranded in Dubai en route to the All England Championships due to the turmoil in West Asia, causing her to withdraw. She therefore skipped the Swiss Open to recover and will start her campaign against Malaysia's Wong Ling Ching.

India will also have a tough men's singles schedule, with HS Prannoy returning from a shoulder injury to face a qualifier, and Kidambi Srikanth facing Singapore's eighth seed Loh Kean Yew. Ayush Shetty, the US Open champion, will face China's fifth seed, Li Shi Feng.
Aside from Sindhu, in the women's singles, Unnati Hooda faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong, Tanvi Sharma faces Malaysia's K. Letshanaa, and Malvika Bansod faces Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
In men's doubles, Hariharan Amsakarunan and M R Arjun, who won back-to-back titles at the 2025 Al Ain Masters Super 100 and 2025 Turkiye International Challenge, will play South Korean top seeds Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae. P. Krishnamurthy Roy and Sai Pratheek K. face Japan's Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi.

In the women's doubles, Ashwini Bhat K. and Shikha Gautam will face Hathaithip Mijad and N. Tungkasatan from Thailand, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela will face Luo Yi and Wang Ting Ge from China. Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra await a qualifier.
In mixed doubles, Rohan Kapoor and Gadde Ruthvika Shivani face Malaysia's eighth seeds Goh Soon Huat and Lai Shevon Jemie, Ashith Surya and Amrutha Pramuthesh face another Malaysian pair, Wong Tien Ci and Lim Chiew Sien, and Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto play Thailand's P. Horbanluekit and Benyapa Aimsaard.