Prannoy, Sindhu to lead Indian team at Sudirman Cup

New Delhi: World No. 9 HS Prannoy and two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu will lead the Indian challenge at the 2023 Sudirman Cup, scheduled in Suzhou, China, from May 14-21. The senior national selection committee, which met here on Tuesday, picked a “balanced” squad with an aim to clinch a first-ever medal in the mixed team championships.
The Indian men had created history last year by winning the prestigious Thomas Cup and hopes of a potential podium finished were raised further following the bronze winning performance in the Asian Mixed Team Championships earlier this year.
The women’s doubles section will see Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly shouldering the responsibilities alongside the pair of Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto, who recently won the Senior Ranking Tournament. Crasto will also pair up with Sai Prateek in mixed doubles in the absence of her regular partner Ishaan Bhatnagar, who is still recovering from an injury he sustained during the National Championships earlier this year. The recent drop in form and subsequent break from the sport did not seemed to have gone against the 2021 World Championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, who has been named as reserve in the team.
The 21-year-old has also dropped to number 3 Indian in the BWF men’s singles rankings. Aakarshi Kashyap, who has long been the second choice women’s singles shuttler for India, finds herself in the reserves with Upadhaya pipping her to the main squad.
The 2023 Sudirman Cup will be played from 14th to 21st May in Suzhou, China.
India have been drawn in Group C alongside Malaysia, Chinese Taipei, and Australia for the tournament. Complete Squad: Men’s Singles: HS Prannoy, Kidambi Srikanth Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu, Anupama Upadhaya Men’s Doubles: Satwik/Chirag, Dhruv/Arjun Women’s Doubles: Gayatri/Treesa, Tanisha/Ashwini Mixed Doubles: Prateek/Tanisha Reserves: Lakshya Sen, Aakarshi Kashyap