Indian badminton stars are set to take on one of their toughest challenges as they compete in the prestigious <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/all-england-open">All England Championships</a>, starting Tuesday in Birmingham. Despite decades of success on the global stage, the elusive All England title has remained out of reach since Pullela Gopichand's triumph in 2001 and Prakash Padukone's historic win in 1980.
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/saina-nehwal">Saina Nehwal</a> and Lakshya Sen came closest in recent years, finishing as runners-up in 2015 and 2022, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have made back-to-back semi-final appearances. Yet, the title has continued to slip through India&rsquo;s grasp.
This year, the challenge is steeper as top Indian shuttlers enter the tournament struggling with injuries and inconsistent form.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/government-cracks-down-on-tobacco-alcohol-advertisements-in-ipl-8840083">Government cracks down on tobacco, alcohol advertisements in Indian Premier League</a>
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/pv-sindhu">PV Sindhu</a>, a two-time Olympic medallist, returns after a hamstring injury that forced her to withdraw from the Asia Mixed Team Championships. The 29-year-old, now coached by Indonesian Irwanshyah Adi Pratama, faces Korea&rsquo;s Ga Eun Kim in the opening round, with potential clashes against China's Han Yue and Indonesia&rsquo;s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in later rounds.
Lakshya Sen, a semi-finalist last year, has had a rocky start to 2025 with early exits in previous tournaments. The 23-year-old faces Japan's Koki Watanabe in his opening match and could meet Indonesia&rsquo;s Jonatan Christie in the second round.
HS Prannoy, currently ranked World No. 30, has struggled since recovering from chikungunya ahead of the Paris Olympics. He faces France&rsquo;s Toma Junior Popov in the first round.
Men&rsquo;s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded 7th, have been India's most consistent pair, showing strong performances at the Malaysia and India Opens. They begin their campaign against Denmark&rsquo;s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard.
Women&rsquo;s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/tags/gayatri-gopichand">Gayatri Gopichand</a>, ranked World No. 9, take on Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s Shuo Yun Sung and Chien Hui Yu. Another Indian duo, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, will face Pei Shan Hsieh and En-Tzu Hung from Taipei.
In mixed doubles, India is fielding three pairs: Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and Sathish Karunakaran with Aadya Variyath.&nbsp;Despite the challenges, Indian shuttlers remain determined to break the All England title drought. With experience, talent, and resilience, they aim to defy the odds and script history.
(With inputs from agencies)

Sports: This year, the challenge is steeper as top Indian shuttlers enter the All England Open Badminton Championships struggling with injuries and inconsistent form.

Indian badminton stars are set to take on one of their toughest challenges as they compete in the prestigious All England Championships, starting Tuesday in Birmingham. Despite decades of success on the global stage, the elusive All England title has remained out of reach since Pullela Gopichand's triumph in 2001 and Prakash Padukone's historic win in 1980. Saina Nehwal and Lakshya Sen came closest in recent years, finishing as runners-up in 2015 and 2022, while Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have made back-to-back semi-final appearances. Yet, the title has continued to slip through India’s grasp. This year, the challenge is steeper as top Indian shuttlers enter the tournament struggling with injuries and inconsistent form. Also Read: Government cracks down on tobacco, alcohol advertisements in Indian Premier League PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, returns after a hamstring injury that forced her to withdraw from the Asia Mixed Team Championships. The 29-year-old, now coached by Indonesian Irwanshyah Adi Pratama, faces Korea’s Ga Eun Kim in the opening round, with potential clashes against China's Han Yue and Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung in later rounds. Lakshya Sen, a semi-finalist last year, has had a rocky start to 2025 with early exits in previous tournaments. The 23-year-old faces Japan's Koki Watanabe in his opening match and could meet Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in the second round. HS Prannoy, currently ranked World No. 30, has struggled since recovering from chikungunya ahead of the Paris Olympics. He faces France’s Toma Junior Popov in the first round. Men’s doubles duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded 7th, have been India's most consistent pair, showing strong performances at the Malaysia and India Opens. They begin their campaign against Denmark’s Daniel Lundgaard and Mads Vestergaard. Women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, ranked World No. 9, take on Chinese Taipei’s Shuo Yun Sung and Chien Hui Yu. Another Indian duo, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, will face Pei Shan Hsieh and En-Tzu Hung from Taipei. In mixed doubles, India is fielding three pairs: Rohan Kapoor and Ruthvika Shivani Gadde, Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, and Sathish Karunakaran with Aadya Variyath. Despite the challenges, Indian shuttlers remain determined to break the All England title drought. With experience, talent, and resilience, they aim to defy the odds and script history. (With inputs from agencies)

All England Open Badminton Championships: Injuries, form slumps pose hurdle for Indian contingent

Indian men's badminton team created history as they thrashed Indonesia 3-0 on Sunday (May 15) to clinch their maiden Thomas Cup title. The experienced Kidambi Srikanth came up with a memorable performance against Jonatan Christie to stun him in straight sets in the third game to seal a dominant 3-0 win for India in the final of the Thomas Cup 2022.

While Srikanth and Laskhya Sen won their respective singles matches, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their doubles match to hand India a clinical 3-0 win in the final against Indonesia at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Lakshya was up against Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting in the first game. He was absolutely outplayed by the Indonesian in the first game as Ginting won the first game 21-8 before Lakshya produced an incredible fightback to win the second game 21-17 to force the contest into a decider.

Lakshya brought out his best in the third and final game as he outclassed Ginting 21-16 to win his match and give India a 1-0 lead in the final. India's second game in the final was arguable the toughest of the lot as the doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag was up against&nbsp;Muhammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.

The Indian duo started&nbsp;the match on a terrific note, taking an early lead&nbsp;in the first game against the&nbsp;seasoned Indonesian pair. However, Ahasan and&nbsp;Sukamuljo soon displayed their class and managed to take the first game 18-21. Satwik and Chirag were dominated by the Indonesian pair once again in the second game.

Ahsan and&nbsp;Sukamuljo came close to clinching the second game in a row but Satwik and Chirag pulled off a comeback for the ages to take the game 23-21. They then went on to win the decisive third set 21-19 to record the most impressive win of their careers and extended India's lead to 2-0 in the final.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/reaching-thomas-cup-final-is-like-india-making-it-to-cricket-world-cup-final-in-1983-pullela-gopichand-478921">Reaching Thomas Cup final is like India making it to cricket World Cup final in 1983: Pullela Gopichand</a>&nbsp;

Srikanth locked horns with Christie in the third game of the final with the title on the line. The Indian had lost against the Indonesia the last time they came up against each other. However, Srikanth was on a roll in the final on Sunday as he wrapped up the first game of the second singles match 21-15 to put India on the verge of a historic win.

Sikanth was brilliant in the second game as well as he led Chrsitoe 11-8 at the interval. It was a hard-fought battle between the two shuttlers but Srikanth prevailed over the Indonesian as he won the second game 23-21 to beat Chrsitie and power India to their maiden Thomas Cup title in the 73-year-long history of the tournament.

No Indian team had previously managed to reach the final of the prestigious tournament. But the Indian men's team spearheaded by Srikanth and Lakshya scripted history in Bangkok this year.

The magnitude of the title victory can be adjudged from the fact that Indian badminton great and former national coach Pullela Gopichand had compared the men's team reaching Thomas Cup final to Kapil Dev-led India winning the country's maiden cricket World Cup crown in 1983.

Indian men's badminton team created history as they thrashed Indonesia 3-0 on Sunday (May 15) to clinch their maiden Thomas Cup title. The experienced Kidambi Srikanth came up with a memorable performance against Jonatan Christie to stun him in straight sets in the third game to seal a dominant 3-0 win for India in the final of the Thomas Cup 2022.

Indian men's badminton team created history as they thrashed Indonesia 3-0 on Sunday (May 15) to clinch their maiden Thomas Cup title. The experienced Kidambi Srikanth came up with a memorable performance against Jonatan Christie to stun him in straight sets in the third game to seal a dominant 3-0 win for India in the final of the Thomas Cup 2022. While Srikanth and Laskhya Sen won their respective singles matches, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their doubles match to hand India a clinical 3-0 win in the final against Indonesia at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Lakshya was up against Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ginting in the first game. He was absolutely outplayed by the Indonesian in the first game as Ginting won the first game 21-8 before Lakshya produced an incredible fightback to win the second game 21-17 to force the contest into a decider. Lakshya brought out his best in the third and final game as he outclassed Ginting 21-16 to win his match and give India a 1-0 lead in the final. India's second game in the final was arguable the toughest of the lot as the doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag was up against Muhammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo. The Indian duo started the match on a terrific note, taking an early lead in the first game against the seasoned Indonesian pair. However, Ahasan and Sukamuljo soon displayed their class and managed to take the first game 18-21. Satwik and Chirag were dominated by the Indonesian pair once again in the second game. Ahsan and Sukamuljo came close to clinching the second game in a row but Satwik and Chirag pulled off a comeback for the ages to take the game 23-21. They then went on to win the decisive third set 21-19 to record the most impressive win of their careers and extended India's lead to 2-0 in the final. Also Read: Reaching Thomas Cup final is like India making it to cricket World Cup final in 1983: Pullela Gopichand Srikanth locked horns with Christie in the third game of the final with the title on the line. The Indian had lost against the Indonesia the last time they came up against each other. However, Srikanth was on a roll in the final on Sunday as he wrapped up the first game of the second singles match 21-15 to put India on the verge of a historic win. Sikanth was brilliant in the second game as well as he led Chrsitoe 11-8 at the interval. It was a hard-fought battle between the two shuttlers but Srikanth prevailed over the Indonesian as he won the second game 23-21 to beat Chrsitie and power India to their maiden Thomas Cup title in the 73-year-long history of the tournament. No Indian team had previously managed to reach the final of the prestigious tournament. But the Indian men's team spearheaded by Srikanth and Lakshya scripted history in Bangkok this year. The magnitude of the title victory can be adjudged from the fact that Indian badminton great and former national coach Pullela Gopichand had compared the men's team reaching Thomas Cup final to Kapil Dev-led India winning the country's maiden cricket World Cup crown in 1983.

Indian men's badminton team create history, clinch maiden Thomas Cup title after thrashing Indonesia

Indian shuttlers created history in Thomas Cup 2022 on Friday (May 13) as Team India defeated Denmark 3-2 in the semi-final to enter their maiden final. HS Panny defeated Rasmus Gamke in the deciding fifth and final game to power India into the final of the prestigious tournament.

It was a magnificent achievement by the shuttlers as India had never reached the final of the Thomas Cup in the tournament's 73-year-long history. India's best-ever campaign at the Thomas Cup came in the year 1979 when&nbsp;the Indian team featuring the likes of the legendary Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi had lost in the semi-final against Denmark

On Friday, India got off to a losing start in their semi-final against Denmark as Laskhya Sen went down against World no.1 Viktor Axelsen in straight sets. However, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty got their first point by defeating their opponents in the next game.

Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy then registered victories in their respective matches as India won the semi-final 3-2 to storm into the summit clash. India's stunning win over Denmark sent the entire sporting fraternity buzzing as the historic achievement was hailed by one and all.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-vs-indonesia-thomas-cup-final-2022-live-streaming-when-and-where-to-watch-478901">India vs Indonesia, Thomas Cup final 2022 live streaming: When and where to watch?</a>

Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand also lauded the Indian shuttlers for their magnificent show in Thomas Cup 2022 and compared their feat of reaching the maiden final to that of&nbsp;Indian cricket team's maiden appearance in a World Cup final in 1983. Kapil Dev-led India had scripted history by winning the country's first-ever cricket World Cup in 1983.

“Years ago we would wonder whether we are good to even qualify for the Thomas Cup. Even if we did, we would usually be eliminated in the group stage. I remember just how much of a struggle it was.” Gopichand was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-create-history-beat-denmark-3-2-to-storm-into-maiden-thomas-cup-final-478747">India create history, beat Denmark 3-2 to storm into maiden Thomas Cup final</a>

Gopichand, who is on the second&nbsp;Indian to have won the prestigious All England Open, said India reaching the final of the Thomas Cup was a significant moment in the history of Indian badminton. He also praised the doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag for providing much-needed depth to the Indian side, which it lacked before.

“This is such a significant moment. The Thomas Cup is the biggest tournament in team badminton. Making the finals means you stand eye to eye with the best nations in world badminton. The magnitude of an Indian team reaching the final is what I’d imagine the team that made the cricket World Cup finals back in 1983," said Gopichand.

“You can’t do what you did without a world-class doubles pair like Satwik and Chirag. That doubles option gives a depth to the side that we didn’t always have before,” he added.

The Indian shuttlers will look to create history when they take on 14-time champions Indonesia in the final of the Thomas Cup 2022 on Sunday.&nbsp;

Indian shuttlers created history in Thomas Cup 2022 on Friday (May 13) as Team India defeated Denmark 3-2 in the semi-final to enter their maiden final. HS Panny defeated Rasmus Gamke in the deciding fifth and final game to power India into the final of the prestigious tournament.

Indian shuttlers created history in Thomas Cup 2022 on Friday (May 13) as Team India defeated Denmark 3-2 in the semi-final to enter their maiden final. HS Panny defeated Rasmus Gamke in the deciding fifth and final game to power India into the final of the prestigious tournament. It was a magnificent achievement by the shuttlers as India had never reached the final of the Thomas Cup in the tournament's 73-year-long history. India's best-ever campaign at the Thomas Cup came in the year 1979 when the Indian team featuring the likes of the legendary Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi had lost in the semi-final against Denmark On Friday, India got off to a losing start in their semi-final against Denmark as Laskhya Sen went down against World no.1 Viktor Axelsen in straight sets. However, the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty got their first point by defeating their opponents in the next game. Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy then registered victories in their respective matches as India won the semi-final 3-2 to storm into the summit clash. India's stunning win over Denmark sent the entire sporting fraternity buzzing as the historic achievement was hailed by one and all. Also Read: India vs Indonesia, Thomas Cup final 2022 live streaming: When and where to watch? Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand also lauded the Indian shuttlers for their magnificent show in Thomas Cup 2022 and compared their feat of reaching the maiden final to that of Indian cricket team's maiden appearance in a World Cup final in 1983. Kapil Dev-led India had scripted history by winning the country's first-ever cricket World Cup in 1983. “Years ago we would wonder whether we are good to even qualify for the Thomas Cup. Even if we did, we would usually be eliminated in the group stage. I remember just how much of a struggle it was.” Gopichand was quoted as saying by Sportstar. Also Read: India create history, beat Denmark 3-2 to storm into maiden Thomas Cup final Gopichand, who is on the second Indian to have won the prestigious All England Open, said India reaching the final of the Thomas Cup was a significant moment in the history of Indian badminton. He also praised the doubles pair of Satwik and Chirag for providing much-needed depth to the Indian side, which it lacked before. “This is such a significant moment. The Thomas Cup is the biggest tournament in team badminton. Making the finals means you stand eye to eye with the best nations in world badminton. The magnitude of an Indian team reaching the final is what I’d imagine the team that made the cricket World Cup finals back in 1983," said Gopichand. “You can’t do what you did without a world-class doubles pair like Satwik and Chirag. That doubles option gives a depth to the side that we didn’t always have before,” he added. The Indian shuttlers will look to create history when they take on 14-time champions Indonesia in the final of the Thomas Cup 2022 on Sunday.

Reaching Thomas Cup final is like India making it to cricket World Cup final in 1983: Pullela Gopichand

Fresh from the success at the Indian Open, Chirag Shetty reflects on his journey with doubles partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, learnings from Tokyo 2020 and more.

Emotional dynamics need to be looked after: Chirag Shetty's two cents on playing doubles after success with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy