India will aim to stay on course for a second title when they face a formidable Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals of the Thomas Cup Finals in Horsens on Friday (May 1, 2026).
Four years ago, India achieved an unprecedented feat by clinching the Thomas Cup crown — the world team championship of badminton — bringing the sport firmly into focus among the country’s youth.
This time, India progressed to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A and will face Chinese Taipei, who are yet to win the title.
India made a strong start to their campaign with a 4-1 win over Canada, followed by a 5-0 sweep of Australia, before going down 2-3 to China despite a spirited effort.
Chinese Taipei, who topped Group C, is also a formidable side, led by world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen. Alongside him, world No. 8 and reigning All England champion Lin Chun-Yi and world No. 21 Chi Yu Jen add depth to their singles line-up.
Chun-Yi, currently one of the most attacking player, had defeated Lakshya in last month’s All England Championships summit clash. They also have Chia Hao Lee, the 2025 All England runner-up, in their ranks.
In doubles, the Taiwanese side boasts of the world No. 14 pair of Chiu Hsiang Chieh and Wang Chi-Lin, and world No. 16 duo of Lee Jhe-Huei and Yang Po-Hsuan. In two matches, Liu Kuang Heng has paired up with Yang Po Han when they faced Denmark and Sweden.
India, on the other hand, have looked in good touch, with both singles and doubles combinations performing well.
Young Ayush Shetty has carried forward his form from the Badminton Asia Championships, where he finished runner-up, winning all three of his matches, including victories over Brian Yang and Weng Hong Yang in the second singles.
Old warhorses HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth have shared the third singles responsibilities, with the latter producing a fine come-from-behind win over China’s Lu Guang Zu on Wednesday.
Prannoy had played a similar role during India’s title-winning campaign in 2022.
All England finalist Lakshya Sen, though lost two three-game thrillers, has impressed with his performances.
The doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won their opening two matches before narrowly losing to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang. It was their first tournament after Satwik’s return from a shoulder injury, and the close contest is expected to help them ahead of the knockout stage.
The second doubles pair of Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun have also won two of their three matches so far and will be keen to help India reach the semifinals.
“We have a good chance against Chinese Taipei. It will come down to two singles and one men’s doubles,” former India coach Vimal Kumar told PTI.
“Lakshya has beaten Chou in the past and needs to give India a strong start. Ayush has looked steady with three wins, so he definitely has a chance. Also Lin Chun-Yi lost to Danish no 2 Magnus (Johannesen) yesterday.
“See the pressure of Thomas Cup is different, so if Ayush can pull off and men’s doubles also win then if need be Prannoy can also pull out the third singles. So I would rate India 60-40 in this tie.”
Besides winning the title in 2022, India have won the bronze medal in 1952, 1955 and 1979.
In the other quarterfinals, China will meet Malaysia, Japan will take on France, while Thailand face host Denmark.
Indonesia, a 14-time winner, suffered a shock exit from the tournament on Wednesday after a 1–4 loss to France in the decisive Group D tie.
Published – May 01, 2026 02:42 am IST
