Badminton Association of India copped brickbats aplenty earlier this year after the Indian Open at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi was marred by monkey intrusions, bird-related disruptions, issues with ageing infrastructure, subpar spectator facilities, and the capital’s infamous pollution.

The venue, which was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games and later renovated for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, will now open its doors again to the World championships, starting Monday, and organisers will hope to make headlines for the right reasons this time, ensuring that nothing but the sport takes centre stage.

The opportunity is doubly significant given India is set to host the next Commonwealth Games and the nation’s ambitious bid for the 2036 Olympics.

“Beyond the performance of our players, as an organiser, we want to show the world that we can host any tournament. They’re trying to bring badminton back to the Commonwealth Games, and we’re also looking at the Olympics. The government is supporting all our efforts, and I’d say this could be one of the best World championships ever,” BAI general secretary Sanjay Mishra told The Hindu.

“The main problems at the Indian Open were the pigeons and monkeys. It was also very cold back then, but none of that is going to be an issue this time around.”

That pursuit has drawn some interesting ideas, including enlisting the services of trained langur-mimicry artists, whose videos have gone viral on social media.

“You can laugh at the solution, but you have to love the effort. Our solutions may be uniquely Indian, but so are our warmth, our spirit and our hospitality,” P.V. Sindhu posted on X.

New seating, fresh wooden flooring for the courts, a modern lighting system and a waterproofed roof are the improvements that have slipped under the radar in the meantime. Sanjay revealed that BAI is working with a budget of around ₹25 crore for the tournament, with the Sports Authority of India undertaking the renovation work thus far.

“What would success at this tournament for us look like? Very simple. If there are no complaints on all fronts, unlike the Indian Open,” he said, before adding, “Besides medals for our players!”

Top seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty survived a stiff challenge before defeating Indonesia’s Muh Putra Erwiansyah and Bagas Maulana in a thrilling three-game opener of the men’s doubles competition at the Thailand Open Super 500 tournament here on Tuesday (May 12, 2026).

The world No. 4 Indian pair registered a 19-21, 23-21, 21-10 win over Muh and Bagas in 64 minutes. The Indian pair found themselves trailing 11-16 in the second game before reeling off seven straight points to turn the tide. Muh and Bagas fought back to make it 18-18, but Satwik and Chirag held their nerve to level the contest.

The second game remained closely fought, with both pairs engaged in long rallies before the Indians managed to take a slender three-point lead at the interval. The Indonesian pair, however, dominated the exchanges after the break and moved ahead 17-14. Despite a spirited fightback from the Indians, the match eventually went into a decider.

In the third game, Satwik and Chirag stamped their authority, racing to an 11-5 lead at the break before cruising through the remainder of the contest.

The Indian pair will face Malaysia’s Bryan Jeremy Goonting and Muhammad Haikal next.

Earlier, Malaysia’s Olympic bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia, who returned to action after recovering from a right ankle injury and back issues, defeated India’s Manav Choudhary 21-19, 21-18 in a qualifying match.

In mixed doubles qualification, India’s M. Jaglan and L. Jaglan lost 11-21, 18-21 to Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Fu Cheng and Sung Yu Hsuan, while in women’s singles qualification, Thailand’s Y Ketklieng beat India’s A Shahapurkar 21-5, 21-7.