Badminton News: The Indian badminton team has been announced for the 2023 Sudirman Cup with the return of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy bolstering the men’s doubles squad for the tournament to be played in Suzhou, China from May 14-21.
World number 9 HS Prannoy and former world champion and two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will spearhead the Indian team drawn in Group C alongside Malaysia, Chinese Taipei and Australia .
The Senior National Selection Committee, meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, is following guidelines announced on January 3, 2023 to select a balanced team with the aim of winning a first medal at the world’s most prestigious mixed team championships.
The Indian men’s team made history last year by winning the prestigious Thomas Cup and hopes of a podium finish were further boosted after their bronze performance at the Asian Mixed Team Championships earlier this year.
“The Sudirman Cup is a prestigious tournament and the selectors have selected the best team after studying the national and international results. We are sure that the team will fight for the medals this year,” said the secretary of the Indian Association of badminton, Sanjay Mishra.
India’s first task is to reach the knockout stage in a potentially tricky group.
Experienced Ashwini Ponnappa and new partner Tanisha Castro will support All England semi-finalists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly.
Kidambi Srikanth and Senior Women’s National Singles Champion Anupama Upadhyaya will be the other singles players on the team.
Tags: India, Sudirman Cup 2023, PV Sindhu