PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen to Captain India at Sudirman Cup 2025; Satwik-Chirag Return to Strengthen Squad

PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen will captain India’s team at the Sudirman Cup 2025 in China. Satwik-Chirag are back from injury, but injuries kept top women’s doubles combination Gayatri and Treesa out. India grouped in challenging Group D with Indonesia, Denmark, and England.

New Delhi:
Double Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu and world No. 18 Lakshya Sen will lead India’s 14-strong team for the Sudirman Cup Finals 2025, to be held in Xiamen, China from April 27 to May 4, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

India has been seeded in a competitive Group D, featuring badminton giants Indonesia, Denmark, and England, making the journey to the knockout stages a tricky one. The prestigious mixed team title, known as the Dick Sudirman Cup, pits nations against each other in five disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

Adding strength to the Indian side is the return of top men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who are making a comeback after recovering from injury. Their presence is expected to significantly boost India’s chances in the doubles format.

India, however, will be without the services of its top women’s doubles combination, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, because of injury problems. Their absence would mean that Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra, the young pair, would step up, while Hariharan Amsakarunan and Ruban Kumar Rethinasabapathi are included as the backups for men’s doubles.

The selectors have chosen the ideal combination in all the five categories with some injury concerns,” said BAI General Secretary Sanjay Mishra in a statement.

We are no longer relying on one or two disciplines to get us through the tie and that makes us a strong force in any team event. We are optimistic that the team will not just leave an impression in the group stages but can go on to make history by claiming a medal.

The men’s singles squad will be headed by Lakshya Sen, who will be joined by H.S. Prannoy, while Sindhu, who has returned to her best after recovering from a hamstring injury, will be accompanied by world No. 45 Anupama Upadhyaya in the women’s singles.

India’s mixed doubles quest will be headed by Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto, who have just impressed with a quarterfinal finish at the Badminton Asia Championships.

With a strong combination of seasoned experience and fresh faces, the Indian team enters Sudirman Cup 2025 with high hopes of breaking new ground and targetting a historic podium finish.